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Intellectual Property FAQ |
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Patents protect new inventions for a limited number of years (typically 14 or 20 years depending on the type of patent) by granting the owner the right to exclude others from manufacturing, using, distributing or selling the product, design, method, etc., described in the patent. Patents, once granted, may be lost (i.e. yielded to the public domain and thus freely usable by all) if not maintained properly. Proper maintenance includes the payment of prescribed maintenance fees.
There are two basic kinds of patents. The first, utility patents, protect the discovery or invention of a new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition. The second, design patents, protect the appearance (also called ornamental design) of a functional item. Successful applications must show that the desired patent is "useful," "novel," and "unobvious," all terms of art for the examiner. Abstract ideas and mechanisms that are deemed impossible cannot be patented.
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Crosby Higgins LLP, 350 Broadway, Suite 300 New York, NY 10013 | Tel: 877-5-BIZLAW or (646) 452-2300 Fax: (646) 452-2301 |
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