Can you file a single patent application for all countries? Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a single patent to cover all countries? Is there such a thing as a worldwide utility patent? Not exactly. To procure foreign utility patents, however, you can file one international patent application that gives you patent-pending status […]
Articles Tagged: international patent
PCT Patent Application: Why file foreign when your US application is uncertain, unexamined or not allowed?
Leap of Faith: File a PCT patent application while your US application might get rejected? Timing your patent filings can be tricky. P:atent applicants typically find themselves in a moment of indecision when the foreign filing deadline approaches. For US applicants, the deadline for filing a PCT patent application is 1 year from your earliest […]
Do we recommend PCT patent applications?
Does our firm recommend PCT patent applications? If foreign utility patent protection is desired, filing a PCT patent application makes sense for many applicants. Generally, we recommend PCT applications if you: need more time; want to defer legal costs; and/or wish to keep open the option to file in major foreign countries. Keep in mind […]
How to choose patent foreign countries
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 do not care about sales or manufacturing of infringing products done in foreign countries. But, what if you do care about infringing activity happening abroad? You will need to file […]
What to do before utility patent application is published
Utility nonprovisional patent applications are typically published around 18 months from the priority date. This event usually comes and goes without much fanfare. Before your patent application is published, applicants should consider at least two questions: Have any improvements or modifications been made? Do you want to protect those changes in foreign countries? Applicants who […]
What is a utility model?
What is the difference between a utility model and a utility patent? Foreign utility patents are expensive. To obtain a foreign utility patent, you normally go through a long examination process with the foreign patent office. All the back-and-forth rejections and responses add up. If there was only a way to skip the substantive examination. […]
Can others file the same patent in a different country?
Same patent by others in different country? If an earlier applicant obtains a patent first in their own country, can others subsequently patent the same invention in a different country? The simple answer “should” be no. The reality, however, is more complicated. What happens in the real patent world does not always follow what should […]
First file PCT or US patent application?
Should you file PCT or US patent application first? When you need patents in the US and foreign countries, you must ultimately file multiple patent applications. The question is which patent application should be filed first. US applicants seeking patents worldwide will often consider filing both a US nonprovisional patent application and an international PCT […]
How can you save money on international patent costs?
How much does an international utility patent application cost? International patent costs can escalate quickly. When pursuing utility patents in foreign countries, you cannot ignore the cost factor. Simply put, foreign utility patents cost a lot, i.e., much more than you want to spend. You have to deal with not only the foreign patent office, […]
How US businesses can patent in Europe (EPO)
What is the European Patent Office? Getting a utility patent in Europe a bit different than patenting in other foreign countries. A single utility patent application may be filed with the European Patent Office or EPO. The EPO is one of the few patent offices in the world where an applicant can file a single […]