Vic Lin

IP resources for startups As an early stage startup, you cannot ignore the significance of IP. At the same time, your budget for protecting your…

What is a trademark Office Action? A trademark Office Action is a letter issued by the USPTO examiner reviewing your trademark application. Actually, a USPTO…

What is a likelihood of confusion rejection? A rejection on the grounds of likelihood of confusion is basically a refusal to register your mark because…

National stage flat fee cost estimates A PCT application allows you to file your patent application in multiple countries. To do so, an applicant enters…

What are IPR petition requirements? IPR stands for Inter Partes Review which is a proceeding held before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the…

A rough ballpark estimate of the costs of an inter partes review is approximately $300K to $600K.  That is by no means cheap, but may still…

Can you add new content after filing a patent application? Yes, it is possible to add new content after filing a utility patent application. There…

What is an ex parte patent appeal? An ex parte patent appeal is the process to seek review of a final rejection in a patent…

When filing a conventional direct priority U.S. nonprovisional patent application claiming priority to a foreign application filed within 12 months (Paris Convention, not PCT), an English translation of the…

Foreign Trademark Registration Options: Madrid Procotol vs. Direct Foreign Filing Trademark rights are territorial. Your US trademark registration does not provide you with rights in…

Inter Partes Review, or IPR, is a mini-trial held before the USPTO’s Patent and Trial Appeal Board (PTAB) to cancel specific claims of a patent on the…

Design Patents vs. Utility Patents Design patent or utility patent? This is a critical question that you need to resolve early in your patent journey.…