Introduction

The nature of the United States patent system means that, in preparing a patent application, you must work closely with the scientists and inventors who are responsible for developing the new discoveries.  With one limited exception, you only get one chance; you do not get a second.  The exception is a provisional application, which allows a one-year period before the filing of a second application.  However, a provisional application can be used to assert priority only for subject matter that is described in such detail as to meet the standards for patentability defined in my further postings.  If it does not, the provisional application will be disregarded by the Patent Office or by the courts in determining priority.  Therefore, careful coordination is a must to ensure that you get it right.

Make sure to revisit next week for the second segment!

Protecting your Brand, Boosting its Value, Including Guidelines for Sound Brand Management.

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a word or design that identifies and distinguishes products or services in the marketplace.  Sounds and combinations of words, symbols, letters and numbers, in addition to smells and shapes of packaging can also be distinctive marks.  In short, a trademark is a brand.  For example, if you were raising cattle you would want to design a brand from iron and use it to place an indelible mark on each or your cattle.  Further, you would want to promote and advertise your brand and boost its reputation every way you knew how to increase the value of your cattle.

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“Catalyst” - a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change: somebody or something that makes a change happen or brings about an event: a means, a channel, a medium for change. Catalyst Law Group was created to fill this role for the San Diego business community – a law firm that increases the rate of success without compromising integrity, a business that makes change happen, and serves as a channel and medium for change and prosperity within the technology business world.

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