What is Fair use of a Copyright? Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies certain types of uses—such as criticism, comment, news…
Inventor NIELS ODEGAARD AND GOTFRED KUHNLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS invented the COMBINED FOLDING BED AND CABINET-FRONT. The application was filed on September 15,1892. serial No. 445,938. (No model.) This invention relates to improvements in folding-beds and has for its object to provide a bed of this character having a cabinet or dressing-case front, which is…
Your patent attorney will keep you updated on the status of your patent application. If you are not assigned to an attorney, the following information might be helpful. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is pleased to present PAIR – Patent Application Information Retrieval System. PAIR has a private site that provides a USPTO/Internet…
A joint inventor is an individual who has not only made a significant contribution to the conception of the invention, but also participated in a “collaboration or concerted effort” towards the invention. If the inventor and another individual contributed to the invention as claimed, each party is a joint inventor. Each party is considered to have shared…
Major findings: The share of patents that include at least one woman as an inventor increased from about 7 percent in the 1980s to 21 percent by 2016. Even with this increase in patent counts, women inventors made up only 12 percent of all inventors on patents granted in 2016. Gains in female participation in…
Under Federal Law, interstate commerce is any commercial transactions or traffic that cross state boundaries or that involve more than one state. “Interstate commerce” as it relates to the sale of goods includes transporting the goods across state lines and the mark must be displayed on the goods or the packaging associated with the goods….
Drawing The applicant for a patent will be required by law to furnish a drawing of the invention whenever the nature of the case requires a drawing to understand the invention. However, the Director may require a drawing where the nature of the subject matter admits of it; this drawing must be filed with the…
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…
What can be patented – utility patents are provided for a new, nonobvious and useful: Process Machine Article of manufacture Composition of matter Improvement of any of the above Note: In addition to utility patents, encompassing one of the categories above, patent protection is available for (1) ornamental design of an article of manufacture or…
PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT FILING DATE REQUIREMENTS The provisional application must name all of the inventor(s). In view of the one-year grace period provided by 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) in conjunction with 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), a provisional application can be filed up to 12 months following an inventor’s public disclosure of the invention. (Such a pre-filing…
