Securing Additional Patent Life Beyond The Statutory Defined Time Limit
The time it takes to receive a first office action on the merits from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) averages around 18-24 months from the filing date. Depending on the art unit, this time can reach well over 3 years. Moreover, the average time it takes for a patent to grant from […]
America Invents Act Prior Art Submission
The America Invents Act (AIA), also known as the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, (named for its lead sponsors, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)) was signed into law on Sept. 16, 2011. The ACT was enacted, inter alia, to improve patent quality and provide more certainty in patent litigation. To address the […]
Google’s New Wave of Advertisements is Ringing in the Ear
From keyword advertising to Gmail advertising, Google consistently finds innovative ways to allow marketing to wade into an Internet user’s personal space. Such practices by Google have become the norm and have been very profitable for the Silicon Valley starlet. However, just as society starts to become keenly aware of Google’s Internet advertising tactics, the […]
Post-Grant Review, Inter-Partes Review, Inter-parties Re-examination
Effective September 16, 2012, the validity of an issued patent can be challenged using either post-grant review under 35 U.S.C. §321 or inter partes review under 35 U.S.C. §311. Post-grant review and inter partes review proceedings can be initiated by anyone “who is not the owner of a patent” by filing a petition with the […]
Green Technology Pilot Program Now Closed: Expansion widened scope of green inventions to stimulate development, jobs and American pride.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is no longer accepting Petitions to Make Special under the Green Technology Pilot Program. In addition, no requests for reconsideration based solely on a defective original petition will be considered. According to the USPTO, the program will meet its limit based on petitions that were previously filed and […]
To Pin or Not to Pin
From Facebook and LinkedIn, to Twitter and YouTube, social media websites have been redefining the way people connect, interact and do business. With the ability to instantly connect millions of users based on education, profession, interests and hobbies, the social media emergence has been exciting to say the least. Users can post images, videos, music, […]
Protecting a Sensory Attribute of Food by Patent
By Robert J. Lewis, 2006 Thousands of patents have been issued protecting various aspects of food products and their methods of manufacture, except one. Can a food product be patented that is differentiated from other food products by a sensory attribute such as its taste? The simple answer is yes, but it may not be […]
Pitfalls of Patent Marking
Labeling your products with expired patent numbers or marking products not covered by a patent could expose your company to litigation, hefty fines, or forced settlements to avoid litigation from plaintiffs seeking quick payouts. Patentees selling products covered by a U.S. patent or patent application are advised by patent attorneys to mark their products using […]
Tips For Optimizing The Term Of Your Patent
The adoption of just a few basic strategies will help to increase the term of your patent. During the term of the patent, the patent owner has the right to exclude others from making, using or selling the patented invention. It therefore follows that the longer the term of the patent the greater its potential […]
Patents in Europe are becoming More Affordable
Thanks to the London Agreement, the cost of validating a European Patent grant in multiple member states of the European Patent Convention (EPC) is becoming more affordable. Prior to the London Agreement coming into force, the EPC member countries had 26 different national languages and required a patent owner to validate a European granted patent […]
