US Patent and Trademark Office: Providing Security for Your Products
It is natural for people to come up with different kinds of ideas in order to make some money. Some invents different kinds of revolutionary products with different purposes. With an original idea in their mind about a revolutionary product, the most natural thing to do is to turn that idea into a reality and make it available in the market to make some profit out of that idea.
However, starting a business is not as simple as it seems. You have to consider that there are laws for it and these laws are very different from any other kind of laws available. The intellectual property law is made to protect the ideas, businesses, trademarks and inventions. However, before you start claiming that the certain invention was your idea and you first invented it, you have to realize that in order to legally claim that it is your invention you first have to patent it first in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The patent and trademark laws are unique and require a different kind of lawyer for it. First of all, you have to know what the US Patent and Trademark Office is all about. You have to know what they do, and what its mission is in order to fully understand why it is important to get your business, and inventions patented.
The US Patent and Trademark Office promote strengthening the national economy by implementing the laws on patents and trademarks. The PTO is also responsible for advising the President of the United States and its administration as well as the Secretary of Commerce about the implementation of patent, copyright and trademark protection in the country. In short, they are responsible about the every aspect of intellectual property.
The Unites States Patent and Trademark Office or the PTO employs more than 7,300 employees. Roughly about 3,000 of its employees are patent examinees and 400 are trademark examining lawyers who are responsible on the legal aspect of patenting and copyrighting. The rest of the staff are support staff who assists the main personnel of the PTO. The patent examiners are engineers and scientists who don’t necessarily have law degrees.
You have to consider that there are quite a lot of patents to companies pouring every year in the PTO. In fact, as of March 2006, the PTO has issued more than seven million patents worldwide is continuing to increase.
If you want to patent a certain invention, you have to consider that it is a complicated process. If you don’t know anything about the intellectual property law, you have to consider getting a lawyer who is an expert on this field. The lawyer will be able to advice on the different patents and they will be the ones who will be responsible for assisting you with the step-by-step process in the PTO in order to patent your invention or product as soon as possible.
When it comes to starting your own business, you have to consider that you will need a trademark for your business in order for consumers to identify if the product they are purchasing comes from your company. Your business should have a unique logo. The trademark should also be registered with the PTO in order to protect your business from piracy. The PTO personnel will examine your business logo and business name and see if it is unique and no other business has the same name and a similar trademark. There is a step-by-step process on which the PTO will examine your business trademark. There are also certain rules they apply whether your trademark is acceptable or not.
These are the things you have to remember when you are trying to get your invention or your trademark patented or copyrighted. As you can see, it is very important that you should patent your invention and copyright your designs in order to protect it from piracy. By patenting it, you can be sure that no one will copy it without your permission.
Unauthorized copying of your products and even your trademark is illegal and is within the bounds of the anti-piracy law. Protect your business and your ideas with the US Patent and Trademark Office.