Patent Litigation at a Glance

Patent litigation refers to the legal process initiated for cases that revolve around trademarks or patents. In the United States, the Patent and Trademark Office is the federal department responsible for granting trademarks and patents to inventors.

The legal disputes associated with patents are common and complex; when an individual has a patent out on an invention or a program it is theirs and it cannot be duplicated. The restrictions or specifics involved in a duplication, however,r are complex and greatly vary depending on the situation. As a result of these complexities, patent litigation is a popular field of law that seeks settlements or resolutions in cases involving infringement.

The typical patent awarded by the Federal Government lasts approximately 20 years. Though these patents cannot be renewed, they may be extended. To obtain a patent an individual must embark on an expensive and tedious process.

As a result of the difficulty in obtaining a patent and the hard work that goes into creating a product or service, the court system often receives litigation cases involving infringement. Patent litigation often occurs when another entity or person tries market or use an invention that has been previously developed or belongs to someone else.

Patent litigation is usually initiated by the party who feels cheated or who has their product, idea, or service stolen by another party. The plaintiff in a patent litigation case will seek full ownership of the asset and will likely seek a compensation package for the time wasted in partaking in patent litigation.

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