Patent Strategy

H. JACKSON KNIGHT E.I du Pont de Nemours and Company, Inc., Virginia, USA

“With minimal use of ‘legal jargon’ this book provides researchers with the assistance and advice they require to understand the legal complexities that they may encounter before and during a patent application.”  (Platinum Metals Review, 1 May 2013)“While there is no substitute for experience, this book is possibly the next best thing.”  (Chemistry & Industry, 1 April 2013)

• Preface xiPreface to the Second Edition xvPreface to the First Edition xixAbout the Author xxiii1 Basic Intellectual Property Concepts 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Basic Patent Law Concepts 21.3 Patent Office Operations 51.4 Requirements for Obtaining a Patent 81.5 Types of Patents 111.6 Parts of a Patent 141.7 The Term of a Patent 201.8 Provisional Protection 221.9 Definitions of Commonly Used Terms 241.10 International Treaties 321.11 The Paris Convention 321.12 The Patent Cooperation Treaty 351.13 The European Patent Convention 401.14 The African Intellectual Property Organization 421.15 The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization 421.16 Eurasian Patent Convention 431.17 Copyrights, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets 451.18 Other Resources 482 The Value of Patents 492.1 Exclusivity – The Desired Goal 492.2 The Mechanics of Achieving Exclusivity in a Technology Area 562.3 Traps and Misconceptions – What Patents Can’t Do 622.4 The Informational Value of Patents 652.5 Assigning Value to Patents 682.6 Licensing of Patents 723 Developing a Strategy 753.1 Professional Help 753.2 Determining Whether or Not an Invention is Patentable 773.3 Defining Strategy 793.4 The Principles Behind the Strategy – The Military Model 813.5 Developing a Patent Strategy Model 823.6 Developing a Patent Strategy for an Invention 963.7 Developing a Patent Strategy for a Series of Inventions 1103.8 Developing a Strategy for an Existing Product 1183.9 Developing a Strategy for Licensing Patents 1213.10 Developing a Strategy for Handling a Potentially Adverse Patent 1233.11 Developing a Strategy for Oddball Inventions 1273.12 Dealing with Inventors When Patent Applications are Not Filed 1293.13 Coordination of Other Strategies and Patent Strategy 1314 Researching with Intellectual Property in Mind 1334.1 Introduction 1334.2 Characteristics of Prolific Inventors 1344.3 Characteristics of Casual Inventors 1404.4 The Inventive Process 1424.5 Fostering Inventive Activity 1464.6 Suggestions on How to Conduct Research for Stronger Patents 1505 Infringement and Freedom to Operate 1555.1 Types of Infringement 1555.2 Avoiding Patent Infringement 1585.3 Dealing with Infringers 1615.4 Research Disclosures and Journal Articles 1625.5 Published Patent Applications and Provisional Patent Coverage 1656 Working with Attorneys, Agents, and Patent Liaisons 1676.1 Introduction 1676.2 Preparing for the Legal World 1686.3 Actions to Take before Meeting with the Agent 1706.4 Typical Working Arrangements with Agents 1716.5 The Researcher’s Responsibility for Technical Details 1736.6 Aloofness 1746.7 Experimentation for the Patent Application 1766.8 Patent Liaisons and Other Intellectual Property Professionals 1777 Disclosure and Filing Decisions 1817.1 Introduction 1817.2 Controlling the Disclosure of Technology 1827.3 The Filing Decision 1837.4 Filing Globally 1857.5 Compulsory Licensing 1877.6 The Cost of Broadly Filed Patent Applications 1887.7 The Legal Systems of Individual Countries 1907.8 Techniques for Determining Which Countries will be of Value 1917.9 World Growth and Economic Power 1937.10 Templates 1957.11 Timing of Application Filings 1957.12 Global Experts 1977.13 Agreement with Strategy 1978 After the Filing 1998.1 Introduction 1998.2 Anticipating the First Response from a Patent office 1998.3 Modification of Claims 2008.4 Research After the Filing 2028.5 Maintaining Cohesion 2048.6 Issuance and Maintenance of Patents 2059 The Future of Intellectual Property Efforts 207References 211Further Reading 215Index 219