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Washington Patents (Intellectual Property) Questions & Answers
Q: Would a current Land Patent from 1865, supersede the 1969 Clark, WA, code regulation regarding land use in a flood way ?

I have 2.5 acre along the Lewis River, I have mineral rights and an updated Land Patent from the Oregon Land Grant act.

A structure was built in 1968, one year before Clark County WA code development existed. The structure was removed in October 1997, because of a flood caused by the 3 dams... View More

Walker Weitzel
Walker Weitzel
answered on Apr 25, 2017

A land patent is the highest proof of title over land. It is extremely authoritative. With that said, the laws of the jurisdiction will dictate your ability to use and develop the property. Ownership is only a piece of the puzzle. Your rights to improve the property are still subject to Oregon law.

1 Answer | Asked in Patents (Intellectual Property) for Washington on
Q: Do patents forbid any part of an invention, or just the exact invention from being copied?

For example, if a patent describes a luxury aircraft seat with a certain method of reclining and with a certain kind of tray table configuration, would the patent be violated if another manufacturer copies only the tray table configuration? Or, is the patent only violated if both the tray table... View More

Peter D. Mlynek
Peter D. Mlynek
answered on Nov 22, 2016

Good question. It does not matter what the patent describes. What matter is what the CLAIMS recite. If the claims recite both the table tray and the recline mechanism, then copying only the tray or the recline mechanism will not infringe the patent claims.

1 Answer | Asked in Patents (Intellectual Property) for Washington on
Q: Looking to create a patent and not sure how to find out if one is already in place for the idea I have
Mr. Ilya Libenzon
Mr. Ilya Libenzon
answered on Feb 26, 2014

You should contact a patent practitioner who can help you conduct a patentability search, and most importantly, interpret search results.

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