Selecting an attorney for legal cases is a very important decision. Please enter your information below to receive a Free Consultation from an attorney in your area:
Intellectual Property News
USPTO Grants First Patent Under New Accelerated Review Option
The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced it has issued the first patent under its accelerated examination program that began in August 2006. The patent, for a printer ink gauge, was filed with the USPTO on September 29, 2006, and was awarded to Brother International, Ltd. on March 13, 2007. Average review time for applications in the ink cartridge technology area is 25.4 months. This patent issued in 6 months, a time savings of 18 months for the patent holder.
"Accelerated examination allows any innovator in any technology to get a full patent review and decision within twelve months," noted Jon Dudas, under secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. In return for cutting the time to obtain a patent decision by 25-75%, the agency asks the applicant for a better application and process. Inventors who want speedy results can get them, so long as they help improve the process."
To be eligible for accelerated examination, applicants are required to provide specific information, known as an examiner support document, so that review of the application can be completed rapidly and accurately. In return, the USPTO issues a final decision by the examiner within 12 months on whether their application for a patent will be granted or denied.
Any invention that is new, useful, non-obvious, and which is accompanied by a written description disclosing how to make and use it can be patented. Applicants' submissions enjoy a presumption of patentability. Thus, to reject an application the USPTO is responsible for ensuring that any evidence indicating that the invention is not new or is obvious (known as "prior art") is identified and explaining why the invention is not patentable in view of the evidence. Read more at uspto.gov.
Global growth causes for small business IP protection.
Intellectual property protection for small enterprises need to increase due to the rapid proliferation of technology globally.
Newsroom
News about Intellectual Property cases in Pennsylvania and nationwide:
Definition:
A statutory exeption that allows the use of copyrighted work for cetain purposes without requiring permission
Suggestive Term
Definition:
Is considered to be inherently distinctive and needs no proof of secondary meaning for registration or protection in court. For example, polar bear for parkas and coats merely suggests the kind of protection that a polar bear has from the cold.
Certification mark
Definition:
A certification mark is any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce with the owner’s permission by someone other than its owner, to certify regional or other geographic origin, material, mode of manufacture, quality, accuracy, or other characteristics of someone's goods or services, or that the work or labor on the goods or services was performed by members of a union or other organization.
Legal Disclaimers
All attorney listings are a paid attorney advertisement, and do not in any way constitute a referral or endorsement by an approved or authorized lawyer referral service. The information provided on Pennsylvania Intellectual Property Lawyers.com is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys
general information related to legal issues commonly encountered. Your access
to and use of this website is subject to additional Terms
and Conditions.
Local Professional? Generate new business today
Call 866-227-9356 or contact a sales rep
Did You Know?