If someone asked you about Intellectual Property, would you know what they were talking about? Would you think it was a smartly built house? Maybe one of those smart phones? You would be wrong if those were your guesses. Intellectual property has to do with creations of the mind. A painting by Van Gogh would […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
Precautionary Provisional Patent Applications
By: Dan Pierron Since March of 2013, I have been filing more and more provisional patent applications. This was expected, due to the increasing importance in filing as early as possible as a result of the change to a first-to-file system. However, a particular type of provisional application we’ve labeled a “precautionary” provisional patent application […]
Patent Office Updates
Some pretty important changes have come across the news wires lately regarding the US Patent Office. In order to keep our readers up to date, we thought we’d share some of the highlights: The US Patent Office has announced a new Commissioner for Trademarks. Mary Dennison assumed her new position on January 1, 2015. In […]
You’ve got an idea – now what??
It happens to everyone at one time or another. You’re working on some type of problem and you realize – you’ve got a much better way of solving it. Or perhaps, you’re playing around with something and it hits you – if you could just add a few minor features, it would be perfect! After […]
7 Easy Steps to Selling Your Patent
Now that you have done all the leg work and have successfully acquired your patent, you may be wondering if you should push forward into production and venture down that sometimes daunting road, or if you should put a price tag on your invention and sell it to the highest bidder? If you choose to […]
How to Determine if a Patent has Expired
There is not one way to determine if a patent has expired. It takes some research, and if anyone tells you “it looks like it may have expired,” run. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Here are some ways to help you determine if it’s “still alive.” Look at the front page – If […]
True or False – Questions About Intellectual Property
T or F? Improvements to old technologies may be patented. True. You actually can get a patent on an improvement to an old technology as long as the improvement is something new and it’s not just an obvious improvement—that’s the key. In fact, most technologies are just improvements to things that have come before. T […]
How to Choose the Right Patent Attorney
As an inventor, you know everything there is to know about your inventions. You’ve studied it, revised it, tested it and shared it (at least with a few good friends). Well, now that you’ve done your part, it’s time to find the right attorney who has also studied and skillfully mastered his craft to handle […]
What Documents are Needed When Filing an Application for a Patent
Magazines, books, comics, clothing, and a ton of other products have specialized trademarks on them. These trademarks are used to acknowledge the source of the products. For written works, art, and anything in the artistic spectrum, copyright laws apply. Patents are different from trademarks or copyright because they deal solely with an invention of some […]
5 Myths about Intellectual Property
For the most part, people don’t set out to “steal” someone else’s property or creative ideas, but they are often inspired by what they see or what they’ve heard, which in turn leads them down a sometimes daunted path of inappropriate business dealings equating to the loss of their business, fines, fees and even bankruptcy. […]
