Patents help protect novel inventions

Patents help protect novel inventions

On Behalf of | Jul 29, 2020 | Firm News |

Texas inventors should take a look into getting patents for their discoveries and inventions. A patent gives the creator of a product the property rights to that invention. It prevents other people from creating an identical product for use, for sale or for profit. The patent is supposed to be internationally recognized, but that may be hard to enforce.

The types of items that can be patented are very specific. For example, an item has to be a novel product, and it can’t be obvious. A patent is for the design of a brand-new invention. A patent is usually applied to a physical device, but with the advance of technology, it’s been used lately to apply to things like computer algorithms. So much of what is created today is tech or digital-based, and those inventions need to be protected.

When someone applies for a patent, they’re going to be getting one of three types: They’ll either get a utility patent, a plant patent or a design patent. Most products are protected by one of five types of utility patents. Utility patents could be used to cover a process that creates tangible results like a computer program or some sort of computerized process for something that was originally done by hand. These patents can also be used for machines as well as items like drugs, beauty products and formulas for drinks. They could also apply to an improvement of any of these types of products.

People who are creating brand-new products should get patents as soon as they can. If an inventor is dealing with a situation where their trade secrets have been stolen by another company, they may benefit by working with law firms that have experience with intellectual property law. Attorneys may be able to help them regain full control of their inventions.