Patents

Patents Questions and Answers

Are unregistered marks protected under federal law? Please share some specific benefits of registration.

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Would it be copyright infringement to copy pages from a text book?

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What are patents and copyrights?

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Describe the possible effects upon our society if there were no laws granting copyrights or patent protections.

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A company just designed a new belt buckle that has a patentable buckling mechanism and an original and distinct decorative appearance. What type or types of patents would apply to the belt buckle?

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An early patent case involved the invention of a machine that automatically added salt tablets to cans of vegetables during the packaging process. The patent holder was leasing out its machines and licensing them for use to canneries. However, the patent owner would only license the invention to canneries that agreed to buy salt tablets from one specific supplier, one in which the patent holder had an interest. Another salt company filed a lawsuit claiming misuse of patent. Was this a case of misuse of patent? If yes, what was the penalty most likely suffered by the patent owner?

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