Monday, September 26, 2011
Insights and Opinions: What Startups Need to Know About Patent Reform
In our Insights and Opinions section of the site, we feature editorials, informational articles, and other content that is relevant to the high tech community in Southern California. Congress recently passed some major changes to federal patent law. To address what has changed and how it might affect startups, Victor Lin of Innovation Law Group, contributed this article
No industry will be untouched by patent reform. Here's what you need to know.
The New First-Inventor-To-File Rule
Up until now, the American patent system differed from the rest of the world in that U.S. patents were generally granted to those who invented first. The patent overhaul will change the U.S. system to a first‑to‑file system awarding patents to those who apply first, as opposed to those who invent first. What does this mean for startups? The obvious answer is to apply for patents as soon as possible. What is not-so-obvious is how to accomplish this, particularly when the costs of patenting exceed your budget. (Continued...)
Read the rest of What Startups Need To Know About Patent Reform.