ARE YOUR PATENT OFFICE MAINTENANCE FEES DUE? Who can pay? Maintenance fees and any necessary surcharges may be paid by the patentee or by any person or organization on behalf of a patentee. What to include with payment? You must include both the patent number and corresponding application number with your maintenance fee payment….
How do I apply for a patent? Inventors may apply for one of two types of patent applications: (1) A nonprovisional application, which begins the examination process and may lead to a patent; and (2) A provisional application, which establishes a filing date but does not begin the examination process. How do I know if…
Intellectual property refers to the expressions of creativity such as naming of goods and services in interstate commerce, inventive concepts, art and designs. Individual legal rights to protection of this creativity can be found in patent, trademark and copyright law. An intellectual property law attorney can help explain the differences and similarities among these three…
Naming Generally It is common for most people to confuse patent, trademark and copyright protection when it comes to naming. A person might attempt to patent a name of a business, music group, product or other business purposes. However, patents do not afford protection for names. Patents generally protect inventions and ideas. Names would be…
Should I Call a Patent Attorney? Allgaier Patent Solutions receives calls and emails from inventors who are interested in protecting their ideas. Most inventors are interested in marketing, licensing or selling their ideas. Most inventors would mention that they have upwards of 5 ideas and are ready to move forward right away. Most patent attorneys…
Parts of a Patent Application The USPTO defines what needs to be included in a patent application. Utility, design and provisional applications all require similar elements but utility applications have the most requirements. The application must have a complete specification, drawings (if needed) and the filing fee and an oath or declaration. Oath or Declaration…
Should I Call a Patent Attorney? Allgaier Patent Solutions receives calls and emails from inventors who are interested in protecting their ideas. Most inventors are interested in marketing, licensing or selling their ideas. Most inventors would mention that they have upwards of 5 ideas and are ready to move forward right away. Most patent attorneys…
How long does copyright protection last? The length of copyright protection depends on when a work was created. Under the current law, works created on or after January 1, 1978, have a copyright term of life of the author plus seventy years after the author’s death. If the work is a joint work, the term…
What is trademark infringement? Trademark infringement is the unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark on or in connection with goods and/or services in a manner that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods and/or services. What will happen if someone sues me for trademark infringement A trademark owner who believes its…
An office action is an official letter sent by the USPTO. In it, an examining attorney lists any legal problems with your chosen trademark, as well as with the application itself. You must resolve all legal problems in the office action before we can register your trademark. In an office action, an examining attorney may…
