Business

How To Protect Your Patents: What You Need To Know

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You may be wondering how you can secure any inventions or designs that are patentable. This is why it is important to know how to protect patents correctly.

Patents allow people to monopolize their creations for some time and stop others from profiting off of them without permission.

This article will discuss how to apply for a patent, how long it lasts, and how you can renew it when the protection expires!

1) How to apply for a patent?

Patents are generally filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Once you send in your application, it will take anywhere from one to three years for them to give you a response.

Most of the time, they deem that your invention is not patentable or ineligible – but if you get approved, then congratulations, your intellectual property is protected.

2) How long does it last?

When you receive your patent, it’s important to know how long the protection will last.

Typically patents are good for 20 years from the date of application; however, if there was a delay in getting approval (for example: due to an appeal), the term might be extended by up to five more years.

3) How to renew a patent when it expires?

Once the patent is expired, you can still use your invention as long as it is in the public domain.

However, if you want to file a new application for an extension or renewal of protection then some things need to be considered:

How much time has passed since the original patent, and how relevant is this product now?