Why Businesses Confide in Patent Lawyers or AttorneysWhy Businesses Confide in Patent Lawyers or Attorneys
Staying ahead of the competition isn`t always easy when you own a business. To protect competitors and imitators from stealing your hard work, the Patent Lawyers of Patent Attorneys can be your trusted partner, for the times you need it the most.
So You Want to Know What Patents Are?
Patents are legally binding documents that protect inventions and intellectual property from being stolen by competitors or other entities. They`re registered in the United States with the USPTO.
A patent has two main components:
-The Invention, or “the claimed subject matter,” refers to what`s not available on the market yet and is something no one else can copy. This could be an idea for how much better your water bottle should work than every other commercial brand out there (think of all those filters you see advertised).
-The claims then come into play when defining exactly what aspects of this product need protection—like its design features like size, shape, color etc.
There are so many interesting and creative inventions that have come from the human mind. Patents can protect this creativity and deter thieves, so the great minds who create these inventions can reap the benefits of marketing their hard work for a long, long time. The USPTO has been registering patents since 1836.
The Competitive Advantages of Using Patents
Patents can legally protect your idea for up to 20 years; during that period, you can also financially benefit from creating partnerships of licensing your patents. The costs associated with patents can vary depending on the type of invention or design in question. A Patents will provide a specific estimate for you from their knowledge and experience.
Examples of Successful Patents
Henry Ford is most well-known for the assembly line, a patented process; the concept he popularized 100+ years ago set the standards for industrial manufacturing at scale, allowing automobiles to be made in 1/10th the time they otherwise would be. The assembly line allowed all the workers to manufacture the product simultaneously rather than individually.
Apple has had an exclusive right to the “slide to unlock” feature of the iPhone and iPad, giving them an advantage over competitors who tried to duplicate it.
When Google came to the market in the late 90`s, it was the most effective search engine of the time, driven by a patented “popularity algorithm” called PageRank. A core part of how a website is positioned in a search is PageRank.
2 Ways to Apply for a Patent
An inventor can file a “provisional patent application” (available since March 16, 2013), which allows them to establish an early filing date with the USPTO. This type of application can only be used for 12 months, and cannot automatically grant a fully registered patent, unless you apply for it yourself.
After 12 months have passed, you can go through the “non-provisional patent application” and register a regular patent.
Things to consider before filing an application for a patent
Patenting can be a costly mistake if you don`t do the research first. All of this information can be found at the U.S Patent andTrademark Office website. If an idea or invention is already patented by someone else, a qualified attorney like Intellectual Property may have more insights on how to patent it.
There might be existing intellectual property rights that prevent others from legally developing inventions like yours, so you`ll want to look for them.