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Articles News & Information About Intellectual Property
What Kind of Patent Can Protect My IP?
In this article: Patents can protect how an invention works or how it looks. Utility patents cover function. Design patents cover ornamental appearance. Early planning, careful recordkeeping, controlled disclosure, and a well-prepared filing all support a better patent process. Some ideas change how a product works. Others change how it looks. Both can hold real business value. A patent gives inventors a way to protect that value when an invention meets the right standards, and the filing is handled [...]
Patents, Trademarks, & Copyrights: Which Best Protects Your IP?
In this article: Intellectual property (IP) law breaks creative and business value into three main categories: patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Patents protect how inventions work, trademarks protect brand identifiers such as names and logos, and copyrights protect creative expression like writing, software, and art. Treating each category as a separate tool helps business owners match the right protection to the right asset. Every label on a product, every logo on a website, every line of code and product design [...]
Recent Trademark Scams: What to Watch for & What to Do Next
In this article: United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) records are public which allows Trademark scammers to target applicants for new and existing trademark applications and registrations. The most common plays include attempting to trick you into paying fake “government fees”, messages that pretend your application has a problem, and messages that pretend a third-party is filing for the same mark that you just abandoned. Some scammers also pretend to be licensed attorneys and offer to file your trademark [...]
Patents and Trade Secrets: When to Disclose Your Invention and When to Keep Your Invention Secret
If you have an invention that you’re interested in protecting, you may have heard that you should be careful who you tell about it. This is good advice, but how do you know who to tell and when? What consequences are there for disclosing an invention under U.S. law, and what recourse is there if someone steals your invention? At War IP Law PLLC, we have experience navigating these questions and can provide you with specific advice on how [...]
