Patent & Trademark Law LOYOLA PRESENTATION Copyright © 2014, Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP and...
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Transcript of Patent & Trademark Law LOYOLA PRESENTATION Copyright © 2014, Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery LLP and...
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Patent & Trademark LawLOYOLA PRESENTATION
Patent & Trademark Law
What is a patent? Why important, value to you and your client
How to obtain a patent
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Patents
What is a patent?
What is patentable? - Structures, processes, programs, designs
Benefits of Patents- Support Competitive Position- Support commercial position with suppliers- Control licensing and joint ventures- Trade-off in infringement situations
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Requirements to be Patentable
New
Useful
Non-obvious
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Requirements to be Patentable
Useful—it works, it has some legal purpose First to file New—not shown by prior art
- Patents- Printed publications- Products offered for sale, sold or publicly used
• Experimental use- Prior invention- Grace period (U.S. but not foreign)- Duty of Disclosure
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Patent Process
Preparation of application
Formal documents signed by inventors
Missing Parts, what is going on here?
Lots of events and interactions to docket, track, and process, many with deadlines to be observed
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Patent Pending
U.S. Patent Office Prosecution (normally 2-3 years) (patent good from issue to 20 years from application)- Official Action from Patent Office after about a year- Patent Office allows or rejects, with possibility to appeal, refile
or abandon the application- If case not allowed, response is filed- Once case allowed, patent issue in a few months
Continuation-In-Part (improvements) Divisional Application (more than one invention, need daughter
application) Foreign Patents, file within one year first application
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Process Map
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Model Patent Timeline
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A Bit Of Trivia About Patents
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Trademark
What is a trademark?
Prosecution—all actions associated with obtaining and maintaining a trademark registration
Enforcement—all actions associated with policing the market for infringing third party use
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Trademark Litigation
3 types of litigation- Federal lawsuits—typically for trademark
infringement, dilution, unfair competition- Oppositions—trial before the Trademark Trial and
Appeal Board (TTAB) seeking to prevent registration of a pending application
- Cancellations—trial before the TTAB seeking to cancel an existing registration
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Typical Tasks of a Trademark Paralegal
Conducting preliminary/knockout searches for clearing marks and/or advertisements
Conducting research based on results of preliminary or comprehensive search
Preparing and filing new applications and renewal applications
Maintaining evidence/use files
International portfolio management
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Typical Tasks of a Trademark Paralegal Continued
Reviewing watch reports and providing recommendations for next steps
Assignments
Drafting all correspondence to clients and drafting briefs for litigation
Explaining complex issues in layman’s terms
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Technical Skills
USPTO and TTAB site are generally user friendly
High use of specialized software for clearance, watching, etc.
Docketing software
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Current Trends in IP
Tone and wording of cease and desist letters
IP Rights in Social Media
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Globalization of IP and International Protection
Madrid Trademark Filing System via WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
90+ members
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How to Break into the IP Field
Entry level positions—administrative assistant/secretary
Networking opportunities—IPLAC (Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago) and INTA (International Trademark Association)