Small to medium-sized businesses and inventors are usually very focused on securing patent rights in the new aspects of their inventions. This is understandable. They want to be able to market and develop their inventions without having to fear that their ideas will be appropriated by competitors.
However, few think about the flip side of [...]
Most of the information available on intellectual property has a legal focus. Even this blog, which is intended for a business audience, addresses particular legal issues a great deal. That sort of information can be invaluable, but at the same time I am looking to expand a little more into the role that IP plays [...]
It may take quite some time for your patent application to mature into an issued patent. What can you do in the meantime if you think someone else is making or selling your invention? Talk to your attorney. A lawsuit is generally premature without an issued patent creating patent rights to infringe.
One option is to [...]
Unless otherwise specified, these comments apply generally to United States patents and not necessarily to patents of other countries.
Overview
So, first things first. Before you ask whether you need a patent, you should have a good idea of what exactly a patent is. What follows is a general overview. As I fill in [...]