In normal circumstances, the phrase “patent pending” is used to let the public know that an inventor has filed a patent application. But there’s a frosty, flavorful exception to that definition from Minnesota’s Twin Cities: a St. Paul brewery has teamed up with a...
How is patent infringement proven?
It would be nice if there were patent cops prowling streets, stores and websites, ready to flip on flashing lights and screaming sirens when they nab those who violate ownership rights and patent law. That’s not how it works, however. Patent enforcement falls...
E-commerce makes pirated IP a bigger problem
In today’s digital economy, e-commerce platforms have allowed companies to reach uncharted territory in sales and market share. However, the downside is that it's much easier for counterfeiters to steal and infringe on those intellectual property rights, too. Sadly,...
What makes something a trade secret?
Successful businesses have their "secret sauce" that helps them thrive. If they want to remain profitable, they must keep those secrets out of the hands of competitors. Numerous laws in the U.S. allow businesses to protect intellectual property. However, some...
Can businesses protect their processes without a patent?
Sound products make companies profitable. And while companies can patent those products, companies typically can't patent the processes used to create them. However, keeping production methods and processes out of competitors’ hands is crucial for continued success....
When should you seek patent protection?
If you have invented or created a new, useful machine, tool, manufactured item, design or process, you may well wish to patent it. The main advantage to you is that once patented, no one else can make, use or sell your invention for 20 years from the application’s...
How inventors go from patent to licensing agreement
Filing a patent in America is easier and less expensive than it is in most other countries. However, it is neither easy nor cheap. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has several guidelines in place that inventors must follow or their claims will be rejected...
Addressing patent infringement involving chemicals
The rights of business owners are violated in all sorts of ways, and infringement is a serious problem. Unfortunately, infringement takes on many forms and can impact companies across a variety of industries. When people think of infringement, they may envision motion...
The threat of patent trolls
A patent troll, also called a patent assertion entity (PAE), is someone who wreaks havoc on legitimate companies by attempting to make money off of invalid patents. His goal is to make money from a lawsuit, not the manufacture and sale of a product. Here's how it...
Corporate strategy and patent volumes
Patent portfolios have been instrumental to large corporations for some time. Patents can be leveraged for revenue growth, defending market position, putting competitors on the defensive, and other tasks essential to implementing a corporate vision. Recent data may...
