Some scholars are calling 2026 the “year of the moon.” Why? NASA, for the first time since the Apollo missions of the late 1960s and early 70s, sent astronauts to orbit the moon. But NASA is not alone. Joining the moon party this year are the Chinese, who are sending a lunar robot to study the moon’s south pole. Private companies like Blue Origin, Firefly, … Continue reading The Year of the Moon: Patents at the Edge of Outer Space
Monopoly is one of the most well-known and iconic board games. According to Hasbro, eight out of ten people fight while playing Monopoly. What many people don’t know is the true story behind the creation and ownership of Monopoly. The story involves a fight over the intellectual property (“IP”) rights of the game. The story starts with a female inventor by the name of Lizzie … Continue reading Patenting Monopoly: How the True Inventor was Lost to History
Introducing Some of the Hottest Siblings You May Not Know About
When you think of the hottest siblings on the planet, do you think of the Hemsworth brothers or the Kardashian sisters? In the world of celebrities, hotness is relative and hard to measure. In the world of super-hot chili peppers, hotness is measured in Scoville Heat Units and can be scientifically tested. When making super-hot chili peppers is your business, protecting your intellectual property (IP) is a spicy subject.
Continue reading “A Tale of Two PuckerButt Peppers: Patent Protection for Craft Agriculture”
As a new golfer working tirelessly on my (sometimes inconsistent) swing, I discovered something about the sport that goes beyond fairways and putting greens. I discovered the enormous field of golf patents, where innovation meets fierce competition. From multi-layered golf balls to the aerodynamic secrets hidden in club faces, there’s an extraordinary number of patents in this industry—22,000 since 1976, to be precise! What surprised … Continue reading Patent Wars on the Fairway: How Obviousness Plays a Role in Golf Patents
I can’t be the only one who’s experienced this scenario. You’re surrounded by your friends and one of them thinks of an invention that solves a frustrating problem in daily life. Then, one of your friends exclaims: “You should patent that!” As the discussion progresses, the euphoria of potential financial freedom sets in. If only we could commercially exploit this idea, then we’d be financially free–released from our student loan burdens and other debts. Hold on. Before you and your friends liquidate all your assets, apply for a patent (i.e., a time-limited exclusive right to your invention), and book an audition on Shark Tank, let’s go through a few things.
Continue reading “Can I Patent that? A Wade Into The Patentable Subject Matter Thicket”
Patent law is often thought to incentivize and benefit inventors. Patent holders have exclusive rights restricting others from making, using, selling, offering to sell, and importing into the U.S. their patented invention. However, the constitutional clause founding patent law aims to benefit the greater public by promoting the progress of science and useful arts. One of the ways patent law helps promote the progress of science is through the Enablement Requirement.
Continue reading “Patent Enablement – For the Greater Good of the General Public”
Did you know that many of the food products you see on the shelf at the grocery store are patented?
Utility patents are granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for useful “inventions” that are new and nonobvious. The owner of a utility patent has the right to exclude others from making, selling, offering to sell, using, or importing the patented invention for a set period of time—usually around 17 years.
Startups and Their (Non)Obvious Patents Many products and services we use every day are inventions from startups that were innovative, new, and exciting at the time they were created. For example, many of us now use, and take for granted, Uber for transportation or Square to easily pay with credit cards at restaurants or stores. While these companies’ platforms might be obvious to us now, … Continue reading Startups and Their (Non)Obvious Patents
An Examination and Interview Conversation on Today’s Patent Gender Gap
Patented products are versatile and diverse. They have the capacity to revolutionize, take the 3D printer. They can entertain adults and children, cue the Rubik’s Cube. And they can make us scratch our heads, like this 1876 mustache guard.
Lots of things that we use in daily life are patented. Patents give inventors rights over their invention. These rights include: the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, importing into the U.S., and selling that specific invention. A patent is like a reward from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given to inventors with new and useful inventions.
Continue reading “Girls Just Want to Have Patent Rights”
So, you had an idea – a good one.
It’s new! (Nobody has disclosed it to the public before, and you haven’t either, except within a certain time frame.)
It’s useful! (It’s not just theoretical; it does something in real life.)
It’s non-obvious! (It’s something more than a simple derivative combination of existing components.)
It’s patentable subject matter! (It’s a process, a machine, an article of manufacture, or a composition of matter.)
Continue reading “Fair, Accessible Patent Protection for the Modern Inventor”
