What type of invention can you patent and what is not protected under United States patent law? You may have asked yourself this question to figure out whether or not your intellectual property can be patented. Intellectual property is something that you conceive and then transfer into a product. Naturally, anyone who has an idea for something wants to use it to their benefit and does not want someone else stealing their idea. This is the basic conception of patent law. Patent law protects the right of the individual who created the invention.
One example of something that can be patented is an invention. Many people have an idea for products but do not act on these ideas. Then they get upset when they see someone else has patented this invention and is making money off of it. They think to themselves that had they only knew something about patent law and how to obtain a patent, they could have been raking in the money for the invention.
An invention must be completed in order for it to be patented. You cannot patent an idea for an invention - you have to complete the actual invention and then apply for a patent. An idea is an example of something that cannot be copyrighted. You may have a great idea for a product, but until you actually create that product, you cannot get patent protection under the patent law.
Another example of something that can be patented under patent law is a trademark. A trademark is something that, when people see, they will relate to your business. A trademark may be your name, a slogan or a logo. These all can be patented and protected under patent law. Trademark patenting is a bit different than applying for a patent for an invention as there is no time limit on the protection offered by patent law for a trademark. You should patent a trademark or slogan that you want to use for your business so that others cannot use it and make it their own.
Attorneys that practice patent law are called intellectual property attorneys. They not only deal with patent law and protecting your invention or trademark, but they can also help you with copyright issues. If you have an invention that you are seeking protection for under the patent law, you may also have documents that are related to your product that you want to protect. A good patent attorney is well versed in patent law as well as copyright law and will be able to advise you on what you need to do to protect your intellectual property.
The next time that you think of an idea, keep it to yourself and turn it into something that can be patented under the United States patent law. You can then try to seek a patent for the intellectual property yourself, or you can seek out the advice of a patent attorney who can help you get the protection that you need.