A provisional patent application is designed to provide a low cost initial patent filing in the United States. Provisional patent applications have become a popular way for applicants to secure early patent application filing dates for their inventions in the U.S. They have become widely used in rapidly evolving spheres of technology such as the Internet, telecommunications, software and biotechnology, although they are routinely used for all types of inventions. Currently, the U.S. government filing fee for a provisional application is $100.00 for individuals, non-profit organizations, universities and for-profit corporations of less than 500 employees, including affiliates (“small entities”) and $200.00 for for-profit corporations of 500 or more employees, including affiliates (“large entities”). Read the rest of this entry »

Trademarks identify to the public the source of particular goods or services. A trademark is any distinct word, phrase, symbol or picture, or combinations thereof, that identifies and sets apart the goods of a specific business or organization. Read the rest of this entry »

Patents protect the utility of new and useful inventions as well as ornamental designs of articles of manufacture. In particular, utility patents cover machines, products and processes (including methods of doing business), and design patents protect the visual impression or “look” of an article of manufacture. A patent enables its holder to prevent others from making, selling or using the subject matter covered by the claims of the patent. Read the rest of this entry »

A copyright protects the tangible expression of ideas, but not ideas themselves. A copyright will not protect any process, system, concept, principle or discovery (which generally are the subject of patents). For example, a copyright will protect the expression of a computer program as embodied in its operational software and/or on a website. It will not, however, protect the utility or functionality of the software. Read the rest of this entry »