{"id":113,"date":"2011-10-07T14:13:59","date_gmt":"2011-10-07T18:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fort-myers-patent.com\/?page_id=113"},"modified":"2026-07-24T08:54:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:54:22","slug":"home-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fort-myers-patent.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Attorney Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Perfecting Your Intellectual Property Rights<\/strong><\/span>
Intellectual property rights require some form of “perfection” before one can fully<\/em> realize their value.\u00a0 Being proactive is not only essential in securing most of these rights, but also critical in fully maximizing them.\u00a0 Here’s a brief summary:<\/p>\n

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Patent Protection<\/strong><\/span>, for example, requires you to strike a deal with the US Patent Office<\/a>. The deal is this: you get a time-limited monopoly on your invention, and in exchange, the public receives the benefits of learning from your Published Patent and of making, using, and\/or selling your Invention after the monopoly period. Not all inventions qualify for Patent Protection, but for those that do, the process has never been more complex and treacherous. It requires careful, strategic, and experienced effort to optimize your rights while avoiding the innumerable pitfalls.<\/p>\n

So with patents, being proactive is required – Patent Rights require<\/strong><\/em><\/span> the filing of a Patent Application that will be substantively examined for patentability by a member of the Examining Corps.<\/p>\n

Notably, on Sept. 16, 2011, our Patent Laws were toggled<\/a> from first-to-invent to first-to-file (starting on March 16, 2013); thus, filing a Patent Application quickly<\/em> has never been more prudent.<\/p>\n

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Copyright Protection<\/strong><\/span> attaches as soon as an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium of expression that is sufficiently stable such that it can be reproduced.\u00a0 This includes when a work of authorship is written or drawn on paper, painted on a canvas, stored in computer RAM or on a hard drive, recorded on any type of medium, etc.<\/p>\n

Despite this instant protection, you still need to affirmatively act to maximize<\/em> your rights. You must register your work of authorship with the Copyright Office<\/a> before you obtain the right to sue for infringement (and to be taken seriously by a potential infringer). Also, only by registering early can you obtain additional rights, such as the rights to elect statutory damages and to receive attorney fees. Prudence here can make the difference between enforcing your copyright against an infringer and letting that infringer walk away with your work of authorship freely.<\/p>\n

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Unlike Patent and Copyright Protection, which are exclusively governed by Federal Law, Trademark Protection<\/strong><\/span>\nis simultaneously<\/em> governed by both Federal and State Law. Each state governs their own recognition of trademark rights under their laws.\u00a0 The United States Government<\/a>, and most, if not all, states define the scope of trademark protection by use. Trademark “use” has both geographic and time components. So generally, the first to use, and continue to use, a mark in a particular geographic location holds the trademark rights to that mark in that location.<\/p>\n

Federal Trademark Law, however, provides several significant advantages over state law, such as nation-wide priority, for example. Essentially, this provides instantaneous “use” in all available locations within the United States and can secure trademark protection on a nation-wide basis. So filing early here is also very beneficial.<\/p>\n

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As can be seen, it certainly pays to be proactive, and quick, when it comes to perfecting your intellectual property rights in the United States. Feel free to give me a call to schedule an initial consultation<\/a> so we can discuss your intellectual property needs and determine your best options.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perfecting Your Intellectual Property RightsIntellectual property rights require some form of “perfection” before one can fully realize their value.\u00a0 Being proactive is not only essential in securing most of these rights, but also critical in fully maximizing them.\u00a0 Here’s a brief summary:   Patent Protection, for example, requires you to strike a deal with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-113","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"yoast_head":"\nAttorney Perspective - United States Patent Attorney, George F. Wallace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"United States Patent Attorney, George F. Wallace, serves the Greater Fort Myers Area. 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