As a patent lawyer with over 20 years of experience, I’ve had thousands of conversations with solo inventors and startups, just like you, who are just starting their journey with a new product or invention.They often face critical decisions about whether to pursue patents and trademarks.  Their main goal is to avoid wasting money and determine whether their use of funds is a … [Read more...]

You've decided to launch your product and chosen a name (trademark) for it. Now comes the important decision of when to file your trademark application. Ideally, you should file for a trademark after confirming the availability of your desired domain name and social media handles, but before making any major investments in launching the product. File After Confirming … [Read more...]

Filing a trademark application is a multi step process to ensure that you have the right information in your trademark application.  If you get the information in these steps wrong, you have to redo your trademark application or, even worse, go through a rebranding effort.To successfully prepare and file your application, you’ll need to complete four key steps:Step 1: Decide … [Read more...]

Launching a product involves considerable costs, from product development and inventory purchase to brand building and marketing. All of these require substantial upfront investment. In light of your tight budget, it's equally crucial to register your trademark with the USPTO now to maximize its long-term value and security as you build your brand. Key 1: Avoid costly … [Read more...]

Foreign patent protection can be very expensive and might not be the best choice for every startup. However, there are strong reasons to consider international patents and strategies exist to help manage the costs. When Should You Start Planning for Foreign Patent Protection? Ideally, you should begin planning for foreign patent protection when you file your initial … [Read more...]

The average processing time for a nonprovisional patent application is 19.7 months per USPTO Patent Pendency Data.  This means you have to wait just under two years before you receive a decision on your patent. For many, securing a patent sooner rather than later is more advantageous.   You have the option to pay a fee to expedite the patent process.  By choosing to expedite, … [Read more...]

The key distinction when deciding to file a provisional or nonprovisional patent application is whether you want to delay costs or secure your patent as soon as possible. Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways—it's either delay legal fees or expedite the patent process. Option 1: Provisional Patent Application Filing a provisional patent application allows you to … [Read more...]