Have you had an amazing idea and wanted to patent or copyright it before someone else could steal it? Have you been a victim of someone else stealing your idea or product? In both cases, getting in touch with a trademark attorney can be a great asset. America has always been a nation of ideas and we work fiercely to keep them our own — to claim our independence. We want our ideas and products to be protected by law, so that we reap the benefit of having them, while still sharing them with others. Hence, the patent,copyright, and trademark industry. Copyright infringement is a serious issues — the Council of State Governments reports that our economy loses almost $60 billion a year because of copyright infringement. That number includes around $16 billion loss of revenue that would have gone to the copyright holders and around $3 billion tax revenue that can never be claimed. So it’s probably no surprise that patent applications are increasing, especially in today’s world of piracy, where new technology makes it easier than ever to access, download, and otherwise steal what we’re not supposed to.
Talk to Me About Patents
Patents have been around for ages, although the price to obtain one has certainly gone up! Indeed, in 1790, if someone applied for a patent, the fee was anywhere between $4-$5. Today that number is considerably more! Between 1998 an 2010, the number of patent applications seen every year doubled — over 520,000 patents were applied for. For example, in 1915 and 1916, the U.S. Patent Office granted over 400 patents per person in the United States and in 2010 and 2011, over 120,000 grants were filed each year. In 2013, almost three million patents were filed globally — up 9% from 2012.
It’s no surprise then, that in the last 20 years, patent lawsuits have also gone up significantly — from around 500 per year to almost 3,000 every year. However, the United States is now just ninth in terms of patents per capita, thanks to increased global competition and more brains entering the playing field. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Intellectual Property Center estimates that total worth of our intellectual property in the United States is between $5-5.5 trillion.
What Does a Trademark Attorney Do?
A trademark attorney is different from a patent attorney, although they do essentially the same job for different categories. A patent attorney helps clients get patents in the first place, deals with the paperwork and procedures necessary for patent law, and can also assist a client in filing an opposition.
A trademark attorney does essentially the same thing, but for a much broader scope. They’re more focused on a brand or a range of products and services. They can help clients adopt and choose new trademarks, handle trademark applications, counsel clients when and how to register trademarks, and help clients if they should run into trademark infringement issues.
How Can Having a Trademark Attorney Or a Patent Lawyer Help Me?
In either case, patent lawyers and trademark lawyers are bound to know more about you regarding the laws surrounding trademarks, patents, and copyrights. If you think you’ve been wronged or had an idea stolen from you and can prove it, they can help you with that legal battle. If you’re trying to register a patent or trademark, they can guide you from start to finish through the entire process, making it smoother sailing than if you had gone it on your own.
Ideally, their guidance will ensure that nothing is false or missing, so that your application meets no opposition on its way towards being approved. They can also make you aware of competing claims or issues you might run into along the way, so that you’re at your most prepared when finally applying and filing.
Make sure that your idea is legally protected with the help of a patent or trademark attorney. You deserve the recognition that ownership brings and you can achieve peace of mind with the help of a trademark or patent attorney.