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….
The encircled R ® is a federal registration symbol. This symbol is used once the trademark is officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Goods or services that are being marketed based on a pending trademark application cannot use the encircled R ®. The federal registration symbol can only be used on…
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…
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO fulfills the mandate of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution that the legislative branch “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors…
Is a trademark application right for you? Trademarks, patents, copyrights, domain names, and business name registrations all differ, so it is important to learn whether a trademark is appropriate for you. A trademark typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services. A patent protects an invention. A copyright protects an original artistic…
Congress established the United States Patent and Trademark Office to issue patents on behalf of the government. The Patent Office as a distinct bureau dates from the year 1802 when a separate official in the Department of State, who became known as “Superintendent of Patents,” was placed in charge of patents. The revision of the…
Patent Pending Number A patent pending notice can be written on the device, business cards describing the product, websites or other forms of marketing (social media, flyers, etc.). The patent pending number puts the public on notice that you have submitted a utility patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Posting the…
Once you have chosen your mark, you must also be able to identify the goods and/or services to which the mark will apply, clearly and precisely. The identification of goods and/or services must be specific enough to identify the nature of the goods and/or services. The level of specificity depends on the type of goods…
