Many people tend to confuse the types of intellectual property protections that are available to them. In short, a patent protects the function of an invention, a trademark protections a name and/or logo that may be used to identify the source of goods and/or services, and a copyright is meant to protect original works of authorship.
A patent in the United States grants an inventor the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the claimed invention in this country. Such a right to exclude competitors can be a useful business tool. But too many inventors, in my opinion, delay the birthing of an invention-centric business […]
3D printing. What is it exactly? The media has been mentioning it more and more often but it is still a rather abstract concept to most people. The down and dirty of it goes something like this, a three dimensional object is created beginning with a digital model and is then formed into a tangible […]
As mentioned in an earlier blog, many businesses are unaware of the need and/or are unfamiliar with the procedures to extend patent rights outside the United States. This article describes some factors characteristic of the invention itself that one may consider when making the important decision to file for patent protection in foreign countries. Invention Factors […]
The Parts Of A Patent Application
There are many parts of a patent application, and each part is very important to the patent application. When drafting a patent application, it is important to be sure that it is complete, and that it can withstand challenges to validity based on formalities.
Inventor and Fraud
If an inventor is under an obligation to assign the rights to an invention to a company, it would be fraud to try to file the application in the name of another. Engaging in such fraud can open up (and tip over) a can of worms for the inventor that may not be easily cleaned up.
Obtaining Patent Rights For A Deceased Inventor
If an inventor passes away prior to filing a patent application, or prior to executing an oath or declaration, a substitute statement can be filed by the deceased inventor’s legal representative.
The Enablement Requirement can come into play in the most critical moments in patent prosecution
Uncooperative Inventors
What happens when an inventor refuses to sign filing documents of a patent application? Remaining inventors may file the patent application without the uncooperative inventor.
