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“4 Important Things You Need To Know About Protecting Your Invention… Or You May Lose Your Exclusive Rights Forever.”

1. File A Patent Application Before You Publicly Disclose Your Invention. US patent laws have strict deadlines for filing patent applications once you have publicly disclosed your application. If you miss these deadlines, your invention will be forever barred from becoming a patent. If you plan on obtaining patent rights abroad, many foreign countries require that you have not publicly disclosed your invention before you filed a patent application.

2. All Patents Are Not Born Equal. There are three types of patents-design, utility, and plant patents. Each patent type offers a different type of protection. You should talk to a patent lawyer who will listen to your goals and identify the type patent protection you need.

3. Patent Pending Status. A Patent Pending label on your product adds marketing appeal. Consumers associate a patent pending label with sophistication. Many investors also look for a patent pending status because they want to possibility of having the exclusive right to manufacture, use, or sell the invention should they invest.

4. Act Promptly. Exclusive rights to an invention are generally granted to the person who first invents it. The determination as to who invented the invention first may be based on the first person to file an application that fully describes the invention at the US Patent Office. At the Law Offices of Roland Tong, you can have us start your application with as little as 50% of the estimated attorney's fee. We act on your application fast and your application will be finished within a few days, not months.

The Law Offices of Roland Tong is an intellectual property law firm located in Woodland Hills and Irvine, California. We handle patent, trademark, and other intellectual property needs for clients throughout Southern California, including Thousand Oaks, Woodland Hills, Pasadena, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, Torrance, Orange County, Santa Ana, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Carlsbad, La Jolla, and San Diego . For an in-depth discussion of a variety of topics please click on an article of interest above. .