A Board Certified Patent Attorney
Archive for the ‘Patenting Misconceptions’ Category
Are you Screwed If Someone Patents Your Invention Before You Do?
On a hot South Florida summer night, two years ago, two inventors worked busily in their garages refining their inventions. They were very much alike, these two inventors. Both were hard-working. Both had great ideas that could benefit mankind. And both stood to profit wildly from their inventions. Recently, these two men visited a Fort Lauderdale Patent Attorney to file a patent and protect their ideas. They were still very much alike. Both had invested their life-savings in their idea. Both had perfected their designs. And both had a finished product that would sell like hotcakes on the open market. But there was a problem. For both men, patents for products just like theirs had already been applied for. While one inventor had to walk away, the other inventor took specific steps that allowed him to win the patent, ev
A Florida Patent Attorney’s Suit of Armor: Integrity
A great majority of the news on patents deals with patent infringement, patent law, and, not coincidentally, it brings to mind the overriding importance of ethics in protecting intellectual property--and profits. As a Florida patent attorney, the long term growth of my business depends on the integrity of the patent applications I file, and recent news underlines its significance.
Samsung Patents Interchangeable Cell Phone Keypad
Recently, I posted a blog about Apple’s patent pending idea to sell a keyboard with dynamically shifting keys. (A number of keys on the keyboard have the ability to change according to the user’s needs.) They’re not the only ones who want to patent ideas to make things more fluid for users. Samsung has filed a patent application for a cell phone with interchangeable keypads(HT Lounge, January 28, 2008). There is one keypad for regular phone dialing, and one with a QWERTY keyboard for text messaging and other word processing functions. The patent includes a gaming pad, music controls, etc. As a Florida Patent Attorney, I’ve seen a lot of ideas–in this category and more. I think the concept of a cell phone keypad that changes to suit what the user is doing at the moment is great. I know how
Nine Costly Misconceptions About Patents
If life were like the popular board game Monopoly ��, obtaining meaningful patent protection would be as simple as buying up Boardwalk and Park Place. In the board game, you simply purchase the property you want, place houses or hotels on them over time, and eagerly collect a continual revenue stream from the successful venture. The rules governing monopolies on ideas, however, are significantly more complex. As you mull over the unique features of your newly discovered invention or method of doing business, I want to dispel a number of common, yet potentially dangerous, misconceptions about patents: Misconception No. 1: All of the good ideas have already been patented. Fact: In 1899, U.S. Commissioner of Patents Charles H. Duell reportedly stated that “everything that can be invented has been invented.”