Terry Williamson's Articles

Foreign File Your Patent Application
Once you file your patent application in the United States, you have started a clock running that when it runs out will prevent you from getting a patent in a foreign country if you don't take timely action. That clock runs for one year. Your alternat...

After KSR – Stronger Patents or Just Harder to Get?
A recent United States Supreme Court ruling is causing quite a stir in intellectual property circles. The case is KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., et al., 127 S. Ct. 1727 (2007). Background To obtain a patent, the invention must be useful, novel and...

Provisional or Non-provisional Patent Application --- Which Should You Choose?
What They Are and Aren't Provisional A provisional patent application is not a patent, and furthermore, never becomes a patent, with the single rare exception noted below. It automatically expires after twelve months following the day of filing and...

Publish Your Patent Application? ... or Not.
Infringement and Provisional Damages There is no action for infringement of your patent until it actually issues. However, through publication of your application, it may be possible to obtain provisional damages for the time between publication of th...

Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights--What's the Difference?
Patents A patent protects inventions through federal law. Inventions are your creative ideas for new products (articles of manufacture), machines, processes, methods, compositions of matter, ornamentation on products, or new plants. An improvement on...