Digital rights management, commonly known as DRM, refers to the technological tools used by copyright owners to control how their digital content is accessed, copied, and…

Software code is eligible for copyright protection, and registering that copyright can be one of the most valuable steps a technology company or developer takes to…

Open source software has become foundational to modern technology development, but using open source code without understanding its licensing terms can create serious legal and business…

Trade secrets are among the most valuable intellectual property assets a business can possess, yet they are protected through a fundamentally different mechanism than patents, trademarks,…

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, transformed how copyright infringement is handled online. Enacted in 1998, the DMCA created a notice-and-takedown system that allows copyright…

One of the most frequently misunderstood areas of copyright law involves who actually owns the rights to creative work. The work for hire doctrine determines copyright…

Copyright protection does not last forever, and understanding copyright duration is essential for creators, publishers, businesses, and anyone who wants to use works that may have…

Copyright registration is one of the most important steps a creator, business, or IP owner can take to protect their original works. While copyright protection technically…

The fair use doctrine is one of the most frequently invoked and least understood concepts in copyright law. Creators, businesses, educators, and content producers often wonder…

The USPTO small entity discount percentage 2026 applicants receive is 60 percent, and micro entities receive 80 percent. Both numbers have been in place since the…

Before launching a new product or entering a new market, smart companies ask a critical legal question: are we free to operate? A freedom-to-operate analysis (FTO…

Every statement made and every amendment filed during patent prosecution can have lasting consequences for the scope of your patent rights. The doctrine of prosecution history…

Joint inventorship is decided claim by claim, proved by clear and convincing evidence, and capable of destroying an infringement suit years after the patent issues. This…

If you have filed a provisional patent application, you are sitting on a ticking clock. The 12-month window between your provisional filing and your non-provisional deadline…

Before filing a patent application in a foreign country, inventors and companies with U.S.-based inventions must consider foreign filing license requirements and export control laws. Failing…

Learning how to mark patents correctly is one of the highest-return administrative jobs in a patent programme. It costs almost nothing to do, and skipping it…

A Request for Continued Examination (RCE) is one of the most commonly used tools in U.S. patent prosecution after a final office action. When the USPTO…

Patent maintenance fees are the most common way a valuable U.S. patent dies. Not litigation, not invalidation – a missed date. This guide covers the statutory…

Receiving a final office action from the USPTO is a critical juncture in patent prosecution. Unlike a non-final office action that opens a dialogue with the…

When two inventors claim the same invention, the patent system must determine who has the right to the patent. Historically, this was resolved through interference proceedings…