A brilliantly clear and up-to-date patent guide
This bestselling primer is packed with everything inventors need to know about patent law basics, including the latest implications of the America Invents Act, the most important change to American patent law in two centuries.
Nolo's Patents for Beginners helps inventors:
• “read and write” patents
• understand how and why to make a patent search
• determine patent ownership
• acquire patent rights
• understand the basics of patent infringement
• get international patent protection, and
• decide whether to file a provisional patent.
You’ll also find patent and invention resources and a glossary of patent terms. The 9th edition is completely updated to cover all the latest changes in patent law and regulations, including the new “first to file” rules.
Author(s): David Pressman, Richard Stim
Edition: 9
Publisher: NOLO
Year: 2018
Language: English
Commentary: Publisher's PDF
Pages: 288
City: Berkeley, CA
Tags: Patents; Legal
Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 8
Your Legal Companion......Page 12
1: Patents and Intellectual Property Law......Page 14
What Is a Patent?......Page 15
The Three Types of Patents......Page 16
Patent Rights......Page 17
How Long Do Patent Rights Last?......Page 19
How Patent Rights Can Be Lost......Page 20
Intellectual Property—The Big Picture......Page 21
Trademarks......Page 22
Copyright......Page 24
Trade Secrets......Page 28
Unfair Competition......Page 33
2: Qualifying for a Patent......Page 34
Legal Requirements for a Utility Patent......Page 35
Statutory Classes......Page 37
Utility......Page 44
Novelty and Prior Art......Page 46
Nonobviousness......Page 57
Legal Requirements for a Design Patent......Page 69
Legal Requirements for a Plant Patent......Page 73
3: Invention Documentation......Page 76
The Importance of Documentation......Page 77
Lab Notebook......Page 80
Invention Disclosure......Page 83
Documenting Reduction to Practice: Provisional Patent Application......Page 84
Trade Secret Considerations......Page 85
4: Patent Searching......Page 88
Principles of Patent Searching......Page 89
Hiring a Patent Searcher......Page 90
Do-It-Yourself Searching......Page 93
5: Reading and Writing Patents......Page 108
Invention and Inventor Data......Page 110
Specification......Page 111
Claims......Page 125
Abstract......Page 132
Drawings......Page 135
Preparation of a Patent Application......Page 136
Specification (Including Description, Claims, and Abstract) and Drawings......Page 137
Electronic Filing (The EFS System)......Page 148
6: Patent Prosecution and the PTO......Page 154
Patent Prosecution: The Road to Allowance......Page 156
Responding to a Final Office Action......Page 169
Additional Application Issues......Page 173
Design Patent Prosecution......Page 177
7: Patent Ownership......Page 178
The Inventor Is Initial Owner of Patent Rights......Page 179
Employee Inventions......Page 180
Joint Owners......Page 187
8: Patent Infringement......Page 192
What Is Patent Infringement?......Page 193
Who Can Sue, Who Can Be Sued?......Page 201
Stopping Patent Infringement......Page 202
Defenses to Patent Infringement......Page 211
Ending Disputes Without a Lawsuit......Page 218
9: International Patent Law......Page 222
Introduction to Foreign Patent Treaties and Laws......Page 223
Putting It Together: The Most Common Route for U.S. Inventors Seeking Foreign Patent Coverage......Page 229
The Paris Convention and the One-Year Foreign Filing Rule......Page 230
The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)......Page 232
European Patent Office (EPO)......Page 236
Locating Foreign Patent Agents......Page 237
10: Help Beyond This Book......Page 244
Inventor Resources......Page 245
Patents and Intellectual Property Resources......Page 246
Working With an Attorney......Page 248
Glossary......Page 252
Index......Page 266
Book Registration and Updates......Page 289
