Patent Lawyers, Patent Filings, and a Pandemic
admin2020-09-30T11:22:47+00:00A slow time in the economy is a good time to prepare for when things turn around. Patent lawyers should maintain customer relations, this strategically, and upgrade processes.
Improving Productivity with AI-Driven Legal Tech
admin2020-09-30T12:48:10+00:00In our article “Patent Lawyers, Patent Filings, and a Pandemic” we talked about ways that law firms could make the best use of the time freed up by a pandemic-caused slowdown in business.One of the suggestions we made was improving your processes by taking stock of your legal tech. In this article we take a deeper look at new legal tech and how it could impact your law practice.In this article we’re not looking...
Industrial Design In Panama
admin2020-09-23T17:33:06+00:00In detail description on Industrial design in Panama By: Alexander Garcia Lopez, Partner at EprointFor the past seventeen years, Alex Garcia Lopez has been advising clients from Asia, Europe, and the Americas on asset protection matters, he has also been involved in negotiation and drafting of software licensing agreements and advising information technology start-ups.Mr. Garcia Lopez is also involved in trademark, patent and copyright litigation, registration procedures, as well as coordination of trademark and...
Transparent Patent Drawings
admin2020-09-17T14:58:19+00:00As we said in our article, “Why Drawings Can Make or Break Your Patent Application,” patent drawings are an essential part of either utility or design patents.But what do you do if one of your patent is for a product that’s transparent? How do you accurately depict transparency? The US Patent Office does not specify a way to indicate transparency. There are a number of different approaches taken in patent applications.One approach, taken by...
The Importance of Patent Drawings for Low-Tech Products
admin2020-08-28T07:33:58+00:00In the popular imagination patents are most closely associated with high tech. And there are, of course, a lot of patents in high-tech, and a lot of high-profile court fights over high-tech patents. It has been estimated that there are 250,000 patents connected to smartphones. Apple has famously been involved in billion-dollar plus patent fights as both plaintiff and defendant.Patents provide protection for innovation – and innovation can be found in any field, not...
Industrial Design Registration in Ecuador
admin2020-07-15T18:05:59+00:00by Erika Alexandra Alarcón Araujo, JD Specialist in Intellectual Property Lawerikalexandralarconaraujo@outlook.com procedimientos@barzallo.comQuito-ECUADOR The registration process for an industrial design (design patent) in Ecuador takes approximately 6 to 10 months. Applications are submitted to the National Service of Intellectual Rights, SENADI Requirements for Eligibility An industrial design protects the intellectual property rights of the appearance of a product resulting from any meeting of lines or combination of colors, or any two or three-dimensional external shape such as line, contour, configuration,...
How to File a US Design Patent on Your Own
admin2020-08-02T07:00:57+00:00Do you have the coolest design ever, that you think will help you sell thousands of copies of your product?Want to protect that design with a patent?On a very tight budget and wondering if you can File a US Design Patent on Your Own, without a lawyer?The answer is yes …but… there are some things to consider. In this article, we’ll describe the basics of filing a design patent with the US Patent and...
How much does a design patent application cost in Mexico?
admin2020-07-02T17:40:22+00:00What is a design patent (called "industrial design" in Mexico)? A design patent protects “how it looks” rather than “how it works”. If your product attracts clients or buyers based on how it looks you should consider filing an industrial design patent. In some inventions both design and utility are important; in such cases you should file for both utility and industrial design patents.For example, for a shoe that has a unique ergonomic design which...
How much does a US design patent application cost
admin2020-08-09T09:47:12+00:00How much does a US design patent application cost Please note that we are NOT lawyers, and we are not giving any legal advice here. You are responsible for figuring out the right answers to each of the questions, and if you have any doubts, you should contact a patent attorney or agent for help. What is a design patent Design patent protects “how it looks” than “how it works”. If your product attracts clients or buyers...
Design Patent Protection and Term of Protection in Different Countries
admin2020-08-02T10:24:59+00:00Design Patent Protection and Period of Protection in Different Countries1 IntroductionOut of the four types of intellectual properties (IPs): Patent, trade secrets or know-how, trademarks, and copyrights. the patent has been one of the most important property rights which gives protection to the inventors for their innovation. The patenting system came into existence to promote innovation. The patent owner has the right to stop others from using his/her invention for the period, the patent...
Do provisional patent application require drawings?
admin2020-08-02T10:47:34+00:00Introduction Protection of invention through patenting assumes even higher importance in a competitive environment. One exemplary case is of Corona Testing Kit, which have been in great demand all over the world to combat the spread of Corona virus. Various agencies, both government, private, scientists and doctors are simultaneously working in developing kits to test Corona virus. Who will be able to obtain the patent for their invention depends upon the speed with which patent...
Avoiding Common Errors in Drawings for Design Patents
admin2020-08-02T10:55:57+00:00Avoiding these common errors in design patent drawings can help ensure that your patent application will be approved and the patent will be strong in court.
Successful Patent Drawings for Design Patents
admin2020-02-20T20:47:26+00:00While patent drawings are essential for almost any successful patent application, they are even more important for design patent applications than for utility patents. Since design patents are for ornamentation and appearance, the drawing IS the disclosure.When considering what goes into drawings for design patents, it’s good to keep in mind the US patent office’s (USPTO) definition of a design: A design consists of the visual ornamental characteristics embodied in, or applied to, an article...
Improving Patent Applications with Patent Drawings
admin2020-08-02T09:58:44+00:00By law, patent applications need to include at least one patent drawing if the object or process is capable of being rendered in an illustration. However, it’s always worthwhile to try and include a patent drawing if at all possible, even if for a particular patent application it’s not strictly required. For example, if you’re claiming a method or process a drawing might not be technically required, but some kind of illustration – a...
Patent Drawings as Works of Art
admin2020-01-29T21:45:05+00:00Nowadays, no one but an inventor would hang a patent drawing on a wall. But once upon a time, patent drawings often went way beyond the merely functional – some of them were museum-quality works of art.Take a look at this drawing from a patent for a fire ladder in 1837. It includes many extraneous details you’d never see in a patent drawing today: a tree in the background, flames and smoke coming out...
Why are patent drawings different from other illustrations?
admin2020-01-01T16:21:19+00:00Patent drawings aren’t just like other kinds of drawings. Patent illustrations aren’t intended to just show what an invention looks like. For utility patents, they need to be specific and detailed enough that someone “skilled in the art” can actually build the item described or use the method disclosed by the patent. For example, if you’ve invented a new kind of bicycle, it’s not enough to submit a pretty picture of what it looks like –...
Christmas Presents for Young Inventors
admin2020-01-31T20:59:30+00:00There’s no age requirement for getting a patent, and the youngest person to be granted a patent (so far) was a four-year-old Houston girl who invented an aid for grasping round knobs.A little-known holiday called “Kid Inventor’s Day” is celebrated on January 17 – Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. Franklin, a renowned inventor of things like bifocals and the Franklin stove – got his start at age 12, when he invented swim flippers.Inventing isn’t just fun...
Expanding Patent Disclosures with Patent Drawings
admin2019-12-01T19:46:35+00:00Under US patent law, if an invention can be showing with a patent drawing or illustration, then at least one is required. According to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, drawings shall be required when they are necessary for the understanding of the invention. (2) Where, without being necessary for the understanding of the invention, the nature of the invention admits of illustration by drawings: (i) the applicant may include such drawings in the international application when filed. (ii)...
The Importance of Patent Drawings in Reissue Cases
admin2020-08-02T11:56:18+00:00A recent case from the Federal Circuit illustrates the importance of comprehensive patent drawings when seeking the reissue of a patent.Under 35 U.S.C. 251, a patent can be reissued if the original patent is defective: Whenever any patent is, through error, deemed wholly or partly inoperative or invalid, by reason of a defective specification or drawing, or by reason of the patentee claiming more or less than he had a right to claim in the...
How Detailed Do Patent Drawings Need to Be?
admin2019-11-27T21:57:45+00:00Inventors sometimes wonder, “How detailed and professional do the drawings in my patent application need to be?”The answer is, “VERY detailed and VERY professional – if you want to maximize the likelihood that your patent application will be granted.”
How to Find a Patent Drawing Service That Meets Your Needs
admin2019-07-29T23:38:51+00:00What criteria do you use to select a patent illustrator?
How Much Does a Patent Drawing Cost?
admin2020-05-11T16:17:14+00:00There are many different factors that go into the cost of a patent drawing.
The Patents That Limited Women’s Voting
admin2019-07-03T03:46:17+00:00Nowadays we take women's equal voting rights for granted. Once upon a time, the US Patent Office granted patents for machines designed to facilitate limiting women's rights.
Patent Drawings and Patent Litigation
admin2019-06-20T19:07:14+00:00Contrary to what a lot of laypeople think, a patent doesn’t grant you the right to make something.A patent grants you the right to sue someone who’s making your invention without your permission.Therefore, a patent is only as valuable as your willingness to litigate to protect your patent rights. Unfortunately, there are way too many companies out there stealing other companies’ intellectual property, figuring the patent owner either won’t notice, or won’t be willing...
Fixing Rejected Patent Drawings
admin2019-06-07T19:39:05+00:00What do you do if a drawing you submitted with a patent application has been rejected by the patent office?First of all, if your initial patent application is rejected (for drawings or other issues), don’t panic! Most patents go through an iterative process with the patent office before the examiner allows the claims. It’s a common part of the process.Procedures and causes for patent drawing rejection will vary from one patent office to another....
Comparing Patent Drawing Requirements in the US and Europe
admin2019-05-24T20:35:59+00:00Many inventors first apply for a patent in the US, and then seek the same patent protection in Europe. Both the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) affirm the importance of drawings to patent applications.The USPTO says drawings are required if they are needed to understand the subject matter; they are almost always needed. The EPO emphasizes quality: “Good-quality drawings are very important for the correct disclosure of...
Working with a Patent Illustrator
admin2019-05-20T21:23:18+00:00Patent drawings are an essential component of almost every patent application.Inventors may choose to work directly with patent illustrators, or they may have their patent attorney take care of getting the official patent drawings for them. Whether you’re an inventor or an attorney, there are a few things you can do that will make the job of the patent illustrator easier, which will help ensure that you receive the best and most accurate possible...
Complying with Patent Drawing Rules
admin2019-05-21T15:57:07+00:00Drawings are essential to almost every patent application. It’s rare to see a patent application that doesn’t contain some kind of drawing, even if it’s just a flow chart. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) informs us: “A patent application is required to contain drawings if drawings are necessary to understand the subject matter to be patented.”The European Patent Office (EPO) emphasizes drawing quality: “Good-quality drawings are very important for the correct disclosure...
SketchUp for Patent Drawings
admin2019-05-20T21:05:41+00:00Introduction There are many different software applications that can be used for creating patent drawings. One popular tool is SketchUp (formerly Google SketchUp). SketchUp is focused on 3D modeling. If all you need are 2D drawings or flow charts, you may be better served with a different software option. It’s used by a wide range of professionals including architects, interior designers and engineers (both mechanical and civil), as well as in the film and video game...
Why Drawings Can Make or Break Your Patent Application
admin2019-06-20T19:01:19+00:00Patent drawings are an essential aspect of filing successful patent applications. These drawings act as a visual accompaniment to your written documentation, conveying information about your invention. When produced correctly, patent drawings increase the probability of your application being approved, as they supply more information than you can usually provide in a written application. However, if you’re not careful, patent drawings can prove to be a stumbling block for your application. Detailed Drawings Can Save...
Ten Patent Drawing/Illustration Software Packages
admin2020-09-30T12:33:23+00:00When submitting an application for a patent, the drawings will be an essential and integral part of the application. You can do the drawings yourself using drawing software or you can hire a professional draftsperson to do it for you. Here are 10 software programmes that can be used to draft patent drawings.