IP Articles

What is an International Search Report? An International Search Report (ISR) relates to an international PCT patent application, and is a written opinion on the patentability of a patent application…

What is Patent Term Adjustment? Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is additional days of patent term added to a utility patent based on Patent Office delay during the pendency of the…

Stage One is a Simple Paperwork Review After the patent application is filed, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reviews the application to confirm that the paperwork rules have…

What is a Filing Receipt? When a patent application is filed electronically, an initial electronic filing receipt is issued immediately by the United States Patent and Trademark Office assigning a…

When Does an Application Publish? Unless a patent application is requested to be kept confidential, at 18 months from the priority date of the patent application, it “publishes” and becomes…

Trademark Rights Can Extend Forever Use of a trademark by a business gives limited rights to the trademark user just by being used publicly in combination with particular products or…

What is a Patent Issue Notification? Congratulations on your patent being approved to issue!  Prior to the patent issuing, the Patent Office sends out a Patent Issue Notification, but it’s…

Duty to Disclose Relevant References to US Patent Office In the United States and several other countries, a patent applicant and anyone within the applicant’s company or associated with the…

My Patent Granted – Now What? Congratulations on your patent being granted!  On the date your patent grants, a copy of the patent is available for download from the US…

How Long Does it Take to Get a Patent? The process to get a patent is, unfortunately, not a fast process and can take anywhere from a year to five…