Intellectual Property

Design patents protect the ornamental appearance of an object.  With a design patent application, you can protect the shape of the object, the surface ornamentation of the object, or both.  A [...]

To prepare, file, and prosecute a patent application to get a patent granted costs money.  The costs fall into a few categories: cost for preparing the application (see my post on application [...]

Software can be protected with patents.  The source code of the software is not protectable with patents (though it may be protectable with copyright), and neither is the object code or the [...]

You have a registered trademark – well done.  But your work isn’t over.  Now, you have to do several things to keep your trademark registration alive, and you must avoid a few other [...]

A patent examiner at the USPTO will sometimes send an Election/Restriction Requirement in response to a patent application.  This is an assertion by the examiner that the application claims more [...]

After you’ve filed a PCT patent application, what are the next PCT deadlines?  Your next steps are to decide on which countries you want to pursue patent protection in, and on what makes [...]

After filing a patent application, you will often receive patent scams: letters demanding payment.  The same thing happens after you file a trademark registration application.  These letters look [...]

In the U.S., trademark rights are built through use, not by registration.  If you don’t register your mark, you will have common law trademark rights.  So why go through the time and [...]

When planning to register a trademark, you must choose which trademark classes to use for your goods and/or services. If you have questions about what trademark classes you should be considering, [...]

Inventors and entrepreneurs usually ask: what information is needed for a patent application?  The shortest answer is “a bunch!” Call me at 617-340-9295 or email me at my Contact Me [...]