Patent

A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Generally, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. This is FindLaw’s collection of Patent articles, part of the Intellectual Property section of the Corporate Counsel Center. Law articles in this archive are predominantly written by lawyers for a professional audience seeking business solutions to legal issues. Start your free research with FindLaw.

Intellectual Property

Patent Articles

Inter Partes Reexamination Starting In 2003: A Potentially Useful Approach To Challenging Invalid Biotechnology Patents

Imagine you are CEO of Biopromise, Inc., a small biotechnology company. Though not yet generating profits, the investing community believes Biopromise has a bright future, given your strong management skills and breakthrough research that has led ...
Read More »
Interfaces Between Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge and Folklore: A U.S. Perspective

TABLE OF CONTENTS REFERENCES The U.S. has a range of IP protection mechanisms that may be suitable to provide legal protection for TK and Folklore, as well as products, works, and marks derived from TK or Folklore: plant variety protection ...
Read More »
Intergraph’s Patent Victory over Intel: FindLaw Interview with George M. Schwab of Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP

Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP, a 150-attorney law firm specializing in intellectual property and complex litigation, secured a major patent victory on behalf of computer software developer Intergraph Corporation over microprocessor giant Intel ...
Read More »
IP Due Diligence in Biotech Business Transactions

Intellectual property due diligence is generally conducted coincident with an investment or acquisition. Often the intellectual property is the most important asset of the target, particularly in the case of a start-up. Certain characteristics ...
Read More »
IP Patent Litigation Strategies: Markman Hearings, I

Michael Bettinger, leader of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group at Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, discussed the Markman hearing, which in patent litigation determines the meaning and scope of the patent claims in dispute. In the Supreme Court's ...
Read More »
IP Patent Litigation Strategies: Markman Hearings II

Next, Bill Robinson, a Partner at Foley & Lardner, presented a discussion on managing costs in IP Litigation. IP Litigation, particularly patent litigation, has seen tremendous expansion, both in terms of amounts that clients have at stake and the ...
Read More »
IP Patent Strategy Seminar. Seminar Summaries of Speakers James D. Nguyen & William J. Robinson of Foley & Lardner

James Nguyen, Senior Counsel at Foley & Lardner, presented two discussions, the first entitled "Post-Registration Strategic Maintenance and Protection of Your Trademarks." He noted that "Trademarks can be a powerful sword, but needed to be actively ...
Read More »
IP Value Extraction: Patent and Technology Licenses

The goal of any intellectual property (IP) strategic plan is to extract value from the IP assets. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as foreclosing competition through superior patent rights, which creates the ability to maximize ...
Read More »
Joint Venture Companies Must Now Disclose Confidential Information During Patent Prosecution

Under 37 CFR §1.56, there is a duty to disclose to the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) all information known to be material to patentability with respect to each pending claim. Failure to disclose may result in a patent being declared invalid ...
Read More »
Judge Overturns Record $1.5 Million Microsoft Verdict

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in BullsEye, a newsletter distributed by IMS Expert Services. Expert testimony proved to be the linchpin in a federal judge's Aug. 6th decision to set aside the largest-ever damages award in a ...
Read More »