I had a revealing conversation with one of my foreign associates the other day. I had asked them to continue reminding me of patent maintenance fees for one of my clients, even though the client would be responsible for the payment of the fees. I got a strange level of pushback from the foreign associate. When I asked why, they said “Because we would not know if the fee had been paid.” What? “Just go online” I said. Well, that opened up a whole can of worms I never knew existed. Read More
European Maintenance Fees Fiasco
Posted in International Tagged annuity, Europe, France, Italy, maintenace fee, patent Leave a comment
Can an “Idea” be patented?
Looking through various invention and entrepreneurial websites and blogs, I’ve noticed that there is some controversy and inconsistency regarding whether ideas are patentable. (e.g. StartupNation.com, Gaebler.com, and IPwatchdog.com) Some assert that it’s possible to patent an idea, while others staunchly dismiss the possibility.
Posted in Patent Prosecution Leave a comment
Initial observations on the Microsoft v. TomTom patent litigation
The recent complaint filed by Microsoft against TomTom has generated significant discussion and debate in the Seattle software community. In this post, I’ll briefly describe a few initial observations about the case.
EPO fees continue to rise on April 1, 2009
Starting April 1st of this year, the European Patent Office (“EPO”) phases in the second of its fee increases. This increase threatens to have serious financial impacts for patent applicants, especially for startups needing to conserve cash. If you are considering applying for the benefits of patent protection in Europe, or already have an application in progress, there are some things you can do now.
Save the date: Seattle Lunch 2.0 Happy Hour
Axios Law Group, 1525 Fourth Ave Suite 800
Seattle, Washington 98101 Get Directions
What do you get when a law firm and a software startup share an office? Read More
Software and Business Method Patents Update
You may have heard rumors that business method patents are dead, but their death is greatly exaggerated. Like all good rumors, however, there is an element of truth. A recent case, called “In re Bilski”, commonly called “Bilski”, does have an impact on business method and software patents.
Posted in Patent Prosecution Tagged application, business method, court, federal circuit, patent, software 2 Comments
Provisional Patent Applications
If you want to preserve the option to get patent protection for an invention (a new concept and the knowledge of how to implement it), a provisional patent application allows you to preserve your right to seek full patent protection in the future. While full (nonprovisional) patent applications may take months to prepare, provisional patent applications take only weeks or less. They are also cheaper. Provisional patent applications expire after one year, but allow you to file for full patent protection without worrying about lack of patent protection in the meantime.
Design Patents
The New Black.
Despite the amount of artistic expression and innovative design involved, artists and industrial designers who produce stylized useful objects such as, furniture, containers, appliances, tools and clothing articles cannot protect their work through copyright registration. However, the products are protectable through the registration of a US design patent. A design patent protects the ornamental design of an article of manufacture that is new, original and non-obvious. Read More