Time is of the Essence: Speedy filing best preserves your patent rights.

Filing a patent application has a number of legal effects.

• Competitor’s activities, which would have been Prior Art before your patent application was filled, may eventually be found to infringe your patent.
• The patent application is a licensable, transferable property right.
• Patent rights have begun to expire, and future costs approach each day.

After filing a patent, invention development or licensing plans should move forward immediately. Patent costs will continue. Patent protection is for a limited, always-shrinking time. To best leverage your investment, plans should move quick. Licensing activities can begin immediately. A patent can be licensed before issuing. Some licensees prefer to license before a patent issues. This allows the licensee to influence or control the patent process.

Other articles that may be helpful:

• What is Bank of America’s Patent Pending “Keep the Change” Invention?, February 24, 2008: In 2005, Bank of America began an advertising campaign. By enrolling in “Keep the Change,” every time you buy something with your debit card, the bank rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar amount and transfers the difference from your checking to your savings account free of charge. Then, the ad explains that the...
• How new is new enough?, December 14, 2008: How to use “Prior Art” to help you to decide whether to invest in a patent application. You can determine how your invention is different from earlier inventions by conducting a “prior art search.” Inventions that come before your invention are referred to as “prior art” by patent attorneys. The differences between your invention and the...
• Does An Inventor Have to Apply In Person?, March 17, 2009: No, you do not need to apply for a patent in person, you must apply in writing to the US Patent Office. Usually, you do this through your attorney. It is not typically necessary to meet with an attorney in person. Simply call and interview your attorney by phone....