Patents

A patent is an intellectual property right granted by the Government of the United States of America to an inventor “to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States” for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.

There are three types of patents. Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.  Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.  Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.

The monopoly given to inventors of useful, novel, and non-obvious utility patents is restricted to 20 years from the filing of the patent. In the case of design patents, protection extends for 14 years.  Only the inventor can apply for and receive a patent for an invention and only the inventor or the inventor's registered patent attorney or agent may prosecute a patent before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Rick Ruz, PLLC’s patent attorneys understand the importance and value of our clients’ inventions and are dedicated to securing and enforcing the intellectual property rights associated with those inventions. Our patent attorneys are skilled in patent enforcement, licensing, opinion work, and due diligence. With our clients’ business goals in mind, our patent team frequently counsels clients on the need and desirability of patent protection, reviews products to determine instances of infringement, reviews competitors' patents to determine validity and even assists clients in designing around patents.