How to Protect Your Intellectual Property

田田 HOW TO PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WITH A PATENT Protecting your intellectual property with a patent can help your business stop third parties stealing or copying new products or inventions WHAT IS A PATENT? Patents take several years to be granted, there is a 2-3 year average, however the examination of the Patents are legal rights granted by national governments that give the creator of an invention protection by preventing other people from using their intellectual property without their permission. Once granted, a patent gives you the right to take legal action against anyone who makes, uses, sells or imports your invention without your permission or to license the patented invention for royalties. It does not necessarily guarantee you will be able to make or sell the invention. patent could take up to 5 years to be granted. WHAT CAN BE PATENTED? Software inventions are still New and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement there of. heavily debated and legislation still being shaped for this - it is currently only considered patentable matter in US and select other countries. 田田 200 Pro-Tip: Don't discuss your invention with third parties without a non-disclosure Pro-Tip: Don't publish or disclose your invention anywhere without filing a priority application! agreement! WHAT ABOUT PROTECTING PATENTS INTERNATIONALLY? Patents are geographically limited. Filing in one country will only give protection within that country, if you trade globally you should consider filling patent applications in additional countries. Within 12 months from your priority application, one may file an international patent application (PCT) converting all PCT jurisdictions. Eventually, this application must be filled separately in each of countries where you seek protection. In most countries the application must be filled within 30 months of your first filing. WHAT IS EUROPEAN PATENT VALIDATION? Under the European Patent Office (EPO) you can make one patent filing and the examination is held directly with the EPO. Once the application matures into a European patent, you can decide in which of the 38 member states you wish to validate the patent, this is called European Patent (EP) Validation. The EP patent doesn't grant protection in all member states, you have to actively validate the patent in the countries you want protection. Hello fipuaer Witaj The validations must take place within three months of the EP patent grant. The translation requirements range from country to country, some countries require translations of the entire specification, and others only require translation of the claims into the national language of that country, and some don't require translations at all. Clao Bonjour Work is underway for a new filing process within the EPO whereby one would only file one Unitary European Patent and once granted the patent will provide automatic protection in 26 of the EP member states. Morningside IP