Posts Tagged: utility patents
Seventh Circuit Clarifies When Utility Patents Can Be Used as Evidence of Functionality in Trade Dress Cases
On June 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided Bodum USA, Inc. v. A Top New Casting Inc., No. 18-3030, 2019 (7th Cir. June 12, 2019). …
Weak Chinese Patent Applications and China’s Burgeoning Patent System
Bloomberg recently published an article providing data analysis on Chinese patent applications to claim that, while China receives more patent applications than any country, “most are worthless.” …
Intellectual Property Considerations and Guidance for Start-Ups: Patents
Intellectual property probably isn’t high on the to-do list for most new nonprofits and business start-ups. There’s plenty enough to do with setting up an …
Match Group Sues Bumble Over Patents, Alleges Former Tinder Employees Misappropriated Trade Secrets
Dallas, TX-based online dating app developer Match Group filed a suit in the Western District of Texas alleging claims of utility and design patent infringement, trademark infringement, …
What is a Utility Patent?
A utility patent is one of three separate types of patents the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can award inventors to protect their inventions. Generally …
Patent Drafting for Beginners: The anatomy of a patent claim
First, every patent claim needs a preamble, which is the introductory phrase in a claim... Second, every patent claim needs a transition. The most common transitions are: “…
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 …
Design Patents 101 – Protecting Appearance Not Function
Design patents are, in my opinion, an unfortunately overlooked patent. While a single design patent is a weak form of protection, they can be obtained quickly, rather …
Patent Cost: Understanding Patent Attorney Fees
Fees for patent attorneys are going to vary quite significantly depending upon the geographical market and the attorney's level experience. Based on 2011 economic data, the national average …
The Cost of Obtaining a Patent in the US
Estimating US patent costs is a difficult matter because so much depends on the technology involved, but answering "it depends" is not particularly insightful or helpful. What …
Doing Business in China: Understanding China’s Patent System
Even with the discretionary substantive examination in a utility model patent application, they are generally much easier to obtain and much cheaper to get. There may also …
Different Types of U.S. Patent Applications
A non-provisional patent application is a domestic U.S. patent application that has the possibility to mature into an issued U.S. patent if after examination the …
Utility Patent Applications – Content and Substance
In order to obtain a utility patent one must file what is referred to as a non-provisional application or a non-provisional utility application. It is called “non-provisional” …
Patented Wake Board Made in America by Inventor Company
Licensing is relatively easy and potentially less risk financially and less time consuming, but licensing also has its negatives. So I went to Surf Expo with my …
A Conversation with Zup Wake Board Innovator Glen Duff
The Zup™ is perhaps the most cool and innovative wake board you have ever seen. There are a number of other patent applications pending, trademark applications pending …
