Amazon has created an Amazon Brand Registry which allows sellers selling products under their own unique brand to register that brand and claim ownership of it. There are several advantages to registering which isn’t the focus of this article, but basically if someone sells product under your brand on Amazon, you can tell Amazon to remove it since you own that brand. The key though, is to make sure your trademark meets the requirements for Amazon Brand Registry. Continue Reading
A provisional patent application is a great tool to temporarily protect your invention with the US Patent Office, but it is useful only if you also file a non-provisional patent application within 12 months. If not used properly, the provisional patent application will not protect your invention.
It is not hard to get a patent if you invent something very unique, have the money to pay for the legal fees to pursue a patent, and are willing to take a patent of modest strength. These factors affect how likely it is for you to get a patent.
Patent Application
What is a child patent application? Continuation and divisional patent applications
A child patent application is a follow up of a previously filed patent application. The previously filed application is called the parent, whereas the later filed application is called the child. The child application is used to ask the Patent Office for a patent that covers a different variation of the invention, or a patent that provides stronger coverage than the parent. Continue Reading
Once you show your invention to the public, you must file a patent application within 12 months or lose the ability to get a patent for your own invention. Continue Reading
So your patent application is filed, what can you expect next from the US Patent Office? Read on to learn about informality, restriction, rejection, and allowance. Continue Reading
If your provisional patent application has expired after 1 year and you have not yet filed a full non-provisional patent application, you may be able to file the full non-provisional patent application late, or file a new provisional patent application. Continue Reading
A provisional patent application lasts for 1 year from the day it is filed. This means you have 1 year to followup and file a non-provisional patent application. But what if the provisional patent application ends on a weekend or holiday? What if you missed the expiration date and didn’t file a full non-provisional patent application? Continue Reading
Yes, a U.S. provisional patent application is recognized by most international countries. You can file a patent application in most foreign countries and that foreign patent application can use the filing date of your U.S. provisional patent application. However, you must file the foreign patent application within 12 months of when you filed the U.S. provisional patent application. Which countries recognize the U.S. Provisional Patent Application? Read on. Continue Reading
Design Patent Application, Featured, Patent Application, Utility Patent Application
Utility Patent or Design Patent
|
Utility Patent |
Design Patent |
| Protects how the invention works. | Protects the shape of the invention only. |
| Can stop someone from making the invention, regardless of the invention’s shape. | Does not stop someone from making the invention if they make it with a different exterior shape. |
| Must explain how the invention works and how it is put together. | Cannot explain how the invention works and how it is put together. |
A utility patent and a design patent are not mutually exclusive, which means you don’t choose one or the other. You can and may need both as they protect different aspects of an invention. Continue Reading