I have an idea for a phone app. I want to market and sell the idea so that it can be developed but I want to protect my idea.

In order to get a patent, you need more than an idea. You need enough detail so that one skilled in the art can make and use the app. Expressed...

Given your intended use, I would recommend having a search of the Copyright Office records performed to see if the works have been...

If there is a patent similiar to my invention, yet the design is slightly different should i move forward with the idea or no?

The similarity of the prior patent to your device raises two issues: patentability and infringement. Your device is patentable over the prior...

What to do if I added to many goods to my trademark application?

Part of the answer depends on whether you filed based on intent to use or actual use, and where the application stands in the process. If the...

How do I patent my idea? How do I find out if my idea has already been patented?

Initially, do not publicly disclose specific details of the invention until a patent application has been filed. In the United States, you have one...

How do you apply for a trademark and copyright for a U.S. product in China? What about Europe and Canada?

If you have filed an application to register your trademark in the U.S., you can file applications in many other countries under the Madrid...

The other application already has an earlier application date. If the goods or services are unrelated, then you may still be okay. If not, then...

I have an idea I would like to patent. Would it be best to file an application on my own, or should I contact an attorney first?

Contact an attorney. if your idea is worth protecting, it is worth protecting properly. Your attorney will likely recommend a search of the...

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Can I use just the last names of players from a sports league without specifying what sport/league they are in?

One of the more famous cases in the right of publicity area is White v. Samsung, in which the defendant had aired a commercial utilizing a robot...

Is a product's name protected as part of a provisional patent application?

A provisional patent application (or any patent application) provides no protection whatsoever to the name of the product. The provisional...