Originally Posted by
Hirudin
I'm no patent lawyer, but my understanding is that you have at max one year after you discuss your invention with another person to patent it. That is in the US. As for copyright, putting a copyright on a drawing stops someone from copying the drawing, but it doesn't stop someone from copying the object in the drawing. That's, of course, also a layman's understanding of US law so, regardless if I'm right or not, it may not pertain to you at all... unless you choose to market your product in the US.