January 2008: I Resolve to Protect My Patent Rights

With a new year upon us, it is time to take stock of our patent portfolios and to plan for the actions we need to take to protect our intellectual property in the coming months and years. We at Robert Plotkin, P.C. recommend that as you plan for the New Year, you make sure to:

• Keep the Patent Office updated on any information that is relevant to your pending patent applications. Failure to do so can invalidate your patents (see "Don't Keep Secrets from the Patent Office").
• Keep appropriate records of all of your new technological developments and the dates on which they were created. A patent is granted in the U.S. based on the date on which the invention was conceived - not the date on which the patent application was filed (see "Document Your Inventions Early and Often").
• Preserve your foreign patent rights and file foreign patent applications where necessary. U.S. patent protection may not be sufficient for you if you or your competitors do business outside the U.S., where U.S. patents are not enforceable (see "International Patent Protection: Having Your Cake and Eating it Too").
• Stay on top of any changes or further improvements you make to inventions that are covered by your patents or patent applications, so that you can update the Patent Office of those modifications as necessary. Although some improvements can be incorporated into your existing patent applications, others may require additional patent filings (see "I've Filed a Patent Application: Now What?").

As always, Robert Plotkin, P.C. is dedicated to assisting you in protecting your inventions. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or require assistance with any aspect of protecting your patent rights.