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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.
The widespread use of trademarks in sports is protected.
Trademark protection is widespread in sports and is estimated at 2.5 percent of world trade.
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Guilty Plea In Trade Secrets Case
Colm F. Connolly, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware; William D. Chase, Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Federal Bureau of... Read more >
Definition:
The copyright owner is not necessarily the author or creator of the work. While in most cases, the creator/author is automatically the one with all exclusive rights to his/her work, the author can give up all rights and transfer the piece to another perso
Author
Definition:
Under the U.S. Copyright Law, is either the person who actually creates a copyrightable work or, if the copyrightable work is created within the scope of employment, the employer of the person who actually creates the copyrightable work.
Patent Pending
Definition:
They are used by a manufacturer or seller of an article to inform the public that an application for patent on that article is on file in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The law imposes a fine on those who use these terms falsely to deceive the public.
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