I agree with Sidewinder, as I patented my product & before I even had it into mass production the Chinese had ripped it off by altering the look just a bit. I found that if your going to do it, a patent doesn't seem to really make that much of a difference as others will rip you off anyway at least that was my experience. The best thing to do is design your product in such a way it's not easy for others to copy, & even if they do yours can be made in a way that works better or looks better. An example of this is what happened to the floater by Rapala, loads of look a likes out there by the Chinese but it doesn't look as good, hasn't the quality or the performance. Just my experience, for what it's worth, hope it helps you out.
-The Muskyman