How Patents Are Categorised

Patents allow an inventor safety against infringement of his rights over the product as well as the way of manufacturing the product by checking its unlawful use for commercial purposes, with the aid of legal regulations. It enables the inventor to take recourse to legal proceedings against anyone who is found to be using his patented invention without his consent.

Patents are divided into three main groups. These are design patents, utility patents and plant patents.

A design patent protects the way the product looks and is designed. Therefore, it provides protection to configuration, form as well as decorative additions. Design patents are very useful for firms that improve upon existing products and develop visually impressive variants that have a monetary worth of their own in the market.

However, a utility patent is meant to provide protection to any innovative process, composition or the invented product itself, as long as it is useful in some way. It essentially protects the way a product is or the manner in which it works. This is the most common type of patent and can be applied in a standalone manner or coupled with a design patent.

The third major kind of patent relates to the protection given for invention of an asexually produced distinct variety of a plant that is new and unique in the field. It also gives the inventor a right to stop others from using that process or sale of a part or whole of the plant.

However, there is one more category of patents known as a provisional patent, which basically means a patent that is provisionally granted to you if you do not have the time or resources to apply for a patent in the normal way. In cases like these, the inventor is permitted to apply for a fresh patent later, though the later patent should not be substantially different from the provisional patent. Such a patent is of assistance when you have almost completed the development of your product, but are not yet ready to file a formal patent.

Discover more about Trademarks and learn how does an Patents protection increase the net worth of your business very fast.

Published by: Lovey Tan on November 10th, 2009 | Filed under Trademarks



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