Home Search Contact Us
Patents Trademarks Copyright Industrial Designs IP services
Our Approach
Why use our services?
Disclaimer


Headline

Browse our newly-designed web site!

 

 

Patents

What is a Patent?

    To draw an analogy, a Patent is a legal contract for protection between the government and the patent holder. The government’s Courts will enforce the patent holder’s rights for a set period (20 years from filing date in Canada and the U.S.A.), as long as the patent holder respects certain conditions. These conditions are mostly related to the obligation to pay for services such as filing fees, issue fees, and maintenance fees. In other words, if you want protection from your competitors, The Government will arrange it as long as you pay for it.

    A patent is issued for any new and unobvious invention. Such an invention can be a process, a machine, a product or a composition that is useful. Something that is new yet theoretical or useless cannot be patented. An improvement on an older invention can be patented. Something that does the same thing as a product already on the market in an inconsequential way cannot be patented.

     Software can be patented in only one country: the U.S.A. This includes ‘business method’ patents (systems for business layout). Higher life form patents are also unavailable in Canada, yet are obtainable in the U.S.A.

     Some objects can be protected by both patents and industrial designs/design patents. For more information on what a patent is, contact us to speak with our patent agent. It's a good idea to read our tips for patenting before calling us.


Latest News


 

We represent one of the world's largest paintball manufacturers for creation and maintenance of their global IP portfolio

We are retained by two of Canada's famous families to  brand and protect their image and IP in Canada and the USA.

Our firm was contracted by one of the largest manufacturers of PET containers to oversee the transfer of intellectual property from its newest acquisition, a German PET container manufacturer.