Vic Lin

What does confusable mean? To be registrable, a mark must not have a likelihood of confusion with any registered trademarks. In other words, an applied-for…

Choosing patent foreign countries A US patent provides a patent owner with rights only in the US. That might be enough for patent owners who…

Same trademark, different country It is possible for others to register a US trademark in a foreign country. A US trademark registration does not block…

Isn’t a cheap provisional patent application better than nothing? Provisional patent applications serve a useful purpose. When written properly, a provisional application can provide valuable…

Before filing a US national stage patent application A PCT application provides several benefits beyond merely delaying the costs of filing individual national stage applications…

Has trademark examination become more inconsistent? Trademarks share a common feature with patents in that a trademark must be different in order to be registered.…

What is an invention funded by the federal government? Certain rules pertain to any private companies or persons seeking to patent a federal government funded…

What is laches? Laches is a fancy legal term meaning delay. If there has been delay in filing a TTAB trademark cancellation, laches might be…

What is a TTAB summary judgment motion? A TTAB summary judgment motion is a pretrial filing made to request an earlier decision in a trademark…

How do you challenge a granted patent cost-effectively? Not everyone has at least $1,000,000 to spend challenging a patent. With such a sizable budget, you…

Design patent or utility patent? One of the most common questions we get from startup entrepreneurs is whether they should apply for a design patent…

What is a PCT prior art search report? Patent examiners review PCT applications in the same way that the USPTO examines utility nonprovisional patent applications.…