HOW LONG DO PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS LAST?
The USPTO provides a one-year period to convert your provisional patent application into a formal non-provisional patent application.
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Public Disclosure – What Happens If Someone Files for a Patent Before You Do?
Public Disclosure – What Happens If Someone Files for a Patent Before You Do? If an inventor disclosed his/her invention to his partners/university/employer, probably had some form of public disclosure, but did not have a provisional patent – what happens if a person with a similar invention had a provisional patent filed which could come…
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Can I Use a Competitor’s Name in Advertising?
In general, it is not illegal to compare yourself to your competitor in the advertising context, so long it is not untruthful, disparaging, misleading, or confusing to the public. Additionally, the use of a competitor’s trademark cannot lead the public to believe that the company is endorsing you.
But what do those generic rules look like in practical application?
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Can I Break a Provisional Patent into Multiple Filings?
CAN I USE A SINGLE PROVISIONAL PATENT INTO MULTIPLE NON-PROVISIONAL PATENT FILINGS? One provisional patent application may serve as the basis to as many non-provisional patents as you would like. As long as you file at least one non-provisional within 12 months of the provisional application, you can continue to file additional non-provisional applications claiming…
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Are Templates and Forms Protected Under Copyright Law?
Let’s say I was the first to invent the Venn diagram. Can I obtain a copyright or a patent to prevent anyone from using or displaying it?
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Adding Subject Matter to International Patents
Applicant will not have to deal with combating their own prior art under § 103 in the United States, international jurisdictions tend to be more stringent in their considerations.
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International Patents: Grace Periods after Public Disclosures
Once a public disclosure is made, the public disclosure bars the filing of a patent application in almost all jurisdictions. However, in the United States, there is a 12 month grace period starting from the public disclosure to file a patent application. A patent filing in the US does not count as prior art if we make a US filing before a public disclosure. Therefore, we have two routes to file applications in other countries.
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Should a New Company File Multiple Patents or One Big Patent?
When to File Multiple Patents or One Big Patent For New Companies A client recently asked: I have a few inventions and I’m wondering if I can save money by combining them into a single provisional patent application? Your Patent Portfolio should always be developed with your business goals in mind. I passed the question…
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Can I Get Trademark Protection For A Board Game?
Trademark Protection for Board Games Jump to: Most savvy entrepreneurs know to apply for trademarks on their product names, company names, logos and slogans. Of those, inventors who make board games often go straight to patent filings and forget about the trademark analysis, as explored in my article here: This article considers a sub-category of…
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Can I Get a Patent on My Idea?
CAN I GET A PATENT ON MY IDEA? Any person who has invented or discovered a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter may obtain a patent for it. This also includes any new or useful improvement on a past invention. Laws of nature and theories are not patentable. You…
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