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Design patents can be enormously valuable for any business, but particularly for small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), who incur about 95% of their costs at the design stage. Good design and, more importantly, the protection of good design through design patents, can lower operating costs. Last month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that it is considering an expansion of the scope of patent protection for designs. For more details, please contact an Alabama design patent attorney.  

If you or your company have developed a new product (or made an improvement on an existing one), you probably will be eager to begin using it. You at least might want to tell others about the great discovery or breakthrough you’ve made. But if you intend to apply for patent protection on it — as you should — disclosure of your invention to the public can actually prevent you from obtaining a patent. The best way to avoid losing your patent rights before you even file a patent application is to keep your discoveries secret and seek the counsel of an Alabama patent attorney. 

Intellectual property (IP) infringement is usually handled in the civil courts. In a typical scenario, one business begins selling a product that, unbeknownst to it, contains elements covered by a patent that is owned by another business. The second business sues the first business for patent infringement and the parties either settle or the case heads to IP litigation in a civil court. In some cases, however, IP infringement or theft can also be charged as a crime, with the alleged infringers or thieves being prosecuted in a criminal court. If you suspect that your IP assets are being infringed, an Alabama IP litigation lawyer can evaluate your case and help protect your rights. 

No one wants their patent application to be rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). However, patent application rejections are extremely common, with the overwhelming majority of patent applications being rejected at least once. While a rejection is certainly a bump in the road, it is not the end of the story. If your patent application has been rejected by the USPTO, an Alabama patent attorney can help you overcome it. 

Trademarks protect information that identifies the source of a product and helps consumers differentiate that product from others. In the vast majority of cases, this information takes the form of brand names, logos, slogans, tag lines, and jingles. After all, the easiest way for consumers to identify the source of a product is through a distinctive mark that stands out from others. But trademarks can also encompass other less traditional, less obvious brand elements that nonetheless serve as source-identifiers. These nontraditional trademarks may be eligible for trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with the help of an Alabama trademark lawyer.