Get free answers to your Patents (Intellectual Property) legal questions from lawyers in your area.
A patent for a technology I am looking at expired in August after 20 years and it says it was assigned to Bank of America. Does this mean Bank of America now owns the intellectual property or is the IP now open to the public? Would a licensing agreement with Bank of America be required to use this... View More 
answered on Nov 26, 2020
Dear Ian,
The assignment of a patent to an assignee does not affect the term of a patent. In other words, if the patent is indeed expired, it is now in the public domain. You should make sure that the patent has expired.
Liliana Di Nola-Baron, J.D., Ph.D.
Attorney at Law... View More
answered on Oct 22, 2020
It depends on the agreement with the invention company and whether the inventor assigned his or her rights to the invention company. Inventions in the United States are patented under the name of the inventor. But inventorship and ownership are different questions. If the inventor transferred... View More
answered on Oct 19, 2020
You should consult with an experienced patent lawyer. This is not something you should try on your own. Determining whether you infringe a patent is complicated and best left to professionals. A patent lawyer can help you find the relevant patents in your industry and advise you during product... View More
New type of configurable weapon that can be quickly modified for rapidly changing tactical situations - also new weapons for personal defense and law enforcement
answered on Sep 28, 2020
Yes I can certainly help with this matter. I have experience with mechanical and electrical inventions so feel free to check out my background and drop me a line at www.tbillicklaw.com
answered on Sep 9, 2020
Yes you can. The telephone was first patented more than 100 years ago and people are still patenting improvements.
It is important to distinguish between patentability (the ability to get a new patent) and freedom-to-operate (the ability to make and sell your product in light of earlier... View More
It's a foot cream.
answered on Aug 25, 2020
You will need a patent attorney to run a patentability search on your foot cream. If your cream is novel, then the patent attorney can prepare and file the patent application for you with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Please call me if you wish to receive more information.
Lots of breeders and pet owners have puppies die every month from Parvovirus in my area.
answered on Aug 25, 2020
Short answer is that I do not know if whelping cages/boxes with UV lights are covered by a patent. Using UV lights to kill bacteria etc. is fairly well known so I am not sure that I see the inventive twist that would be covered by a patent
You may want to do some preliminary searching... View More
answered on Aug 25, 2020
This is a very common question.
You filed a provisional patent application, but you did not file a regular utility application like you were supposed to in order to get patent protection. Your provisional patent application has thus lapsed.
Yes, you can file another patent... View More
answered on Aug 18, 2020
Not a candidate for a patent.
35 USC 101 Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.... View More
We are planning to start e commerce business and finalized a product after browsing lots is products on global sourcing. But when we searched same product on amazon it says a patent has been filed on the product - US Utility Patent No. US 9585455 B2. US Design Patent No. USD 821033. Can we... View More
answered on Jul 29, 2020
Those are granted patent numbers. If you make, use, sell, or offer to sell a product in the United States that is covered by these patents, then you will be infringing. As you know of the patents, they may seek to enhance the damages up to 3x for willful infringement.
You need to either... View More
My friend and I have come up with an idea that we want to market. It is extremely unique. We have been researching for a few days now to make sure there is nothing like it on the market. We were trying to figure out if we need a patent to manufacture the product to sell or if we need a copyright.... View More
answered on Jul 27, 2020
It is not clear what your invention is so my answer is going to be somewhat general.
You asked "can we file the paperwork with the U.S. ourselves"? The answer is yes you can. The USPTO allows inventors for file patent applications without the assistance of patent attorneys.... View More
At first i was told to hire a contracts lawyer. Now that the settlements were reversed what kind of attorney do i need to hire?
answered on Jul 19, 2020
Yes, it is possible for a settlement to be reversed.
The kind of an attorney to represent you will depend on the nature of the problem. I would think that a patent litigator would be an appropriate starting point.
US Patent Application for LASER INDUCED GRAPHENE MATERIALS AND THEIR USE IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES Patent Application (Application #20200112026)
Do patent applications on new methods of producing material products make it impossible for others to use the methods in their own designs?
Thankyou
answered on Jun 29, 2020
If a granted patent describes the same method that you want to use, then the inventor can prevent you from using that process without their permission. If a patent application has not yet been granted, then the inventor does not yet have the right to stop you. However, if the patent is granted... View More
I am launching my first product. However, my competitors have patents but I am thinking to change the design not function. Would my competitors' patents be infringed? Is it possible to get a patent for my product? Thank you!
answered on Apr 7, 2020
This is a very difficult and complicated question. A non-provisional patent generally covers the function of an item whereas a design patent covers the ornamental look of a product but not its function. You can still infringe on A patent by changing its design if your new product “reads on”... View More
If you have an item that you want to patent, what are the steps to get a patent, or where would you go to get a patent?
And can the patent include more than one person for the creation of the object?
answered on Apr 4, 2020
To get a patent, you need to reach out to a patent attorney, and the patent attorney will take care of it for you.
If you do not know a patent attorney, reach out to any attorney that you know, and he will put you in touch with a patent attorney who should be able to help you.
By using the same vessel there are only so many ways to configure a pool. Should I be worried about other builders patents or would they actually hold up as long as I don’t blatantly steal IP.
answered on Feb 8, 2020
Whenever you want to start producing and marketing products that are not commonplace or have not been around for a long time (i.e. 20+ years), yeah, you should contact a patent attorney about this. The patent attorney will give you options for you to pursue.
Patent No. 10531719
answered on Feb 8, 2020
According to the facepage of US Patent 10,531,719, the name of the patent attorney/agent is Celia H. Leber.
Non-exclusive, 2yr contract. They claim it is because they are taking all the risk. I already have product inventory, cads, engineering designs.
answered on Jan 11, 2020
Your question is actually beyond the pure practice of acquiring patents. This is licensing (a form of contracts) and you should hire competent counsel that has negotiated a number of patent licenses. I would be leery of putting up money as you don't know if they will earn it. You may want... View More
My father transfered a property to my mother through a special warranty deed that my grandmother had originally transfered to both of them through a warranty with vendor's lien but prior to this in '72 one half of the interest was transferred by a quitclaim deed to my grandmother while... View More
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Aug 6, 2019
The only way any attorney can give you a definitive answer would be to review the entire chain of title with his or her own eyes.
answered on Aug 3, 2019
If you are infringing, then no. To get a proper answer, you need to hire a patent attorney.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
