Posts Archive
Provisional Patents: What are they and why do you need them?
The first thing to say is this: there is no such thing as a provisional patent. You can, however, file what is known as a provisional patent …
Funding Your Invention: Get Started with Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding addresses the two biggest challenges many inventors have. “What is the market for my product?” and “How do I get initial funds to produce it?” Conventional …
What is a patent and where do patent rights come from?
A patent is a proprietary right granted by the Federal government pursuant to laws passed by Congress. The Congressional power to authorize patents is found in Article …
Drafting Patent Applications: Writing Method Claims
Method or process claims are relatively easy to write once you know what the core invention is and what is necessary to be included in the claim …
Invention to Patent 101 – Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
This page and website contain contain detailed information to help inventors on the road from invention to patent... Below are a sampling of inventor help links to …
Patenting Board Games 101
In my experience one of the things that inventors of board games frequently forget is the inclusion of alternative methods of play. Don't just focus on the …
An Overview of the U.S. Patent Process
The first time you will substantively hear from the examiner is when the examiner issues what is referred to as a First Office Action on the Merits (…
The Benefits of a Provisional Patent Application
There is a great misunderstanding among many inventors and entrepreneurs regarding what many simply refer to as a provisional patent. The first thing that needs to be …
Does My Degree Qualify Me to Take the Patent Bar?
Some of the most popular pages month after month on IPWatchdog.com are our Patent Bar information pages, and given that I teach for the PLI Patent …
Federal Circuit Affirms TTAB Refusal to Register ‘CHURRASCOS’
In a May 13, 2016 decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decision upholding an Examiner’s denial of registration based on a finding …
Alternate Approaches to the Valuation of Intellectual Property
Techniques for valuing intellectual property continue to develop, especially as access to information becomes easier and more efficient. The practice of valuing intellectual property has only been …
How Long Does a Copyright Last?
Answering the question about how long a copyright lasts, or whether a particular copyrighted work is in the public domain and can be readily used without the …
Facebook and Twitter: Patent Strategies for Social Media
Both Facebook and Twitter will need to grow up and mature as companies if they are going to succeed for the long haul. A review of the …
What is a Trade Secret?
A trade secret is defined as any valuable business information that is not generally known and is subject to reasonable efforts to preserve confidentiality. Generally speaking, a …
Sell Your Ideas With or Without a Patent
As Key works with inventors he coaches, who he refers to as students because he teaches them how to do much of the work for themselves, he …
