When a person or a business creates a new product, they will patent it. This means that no other person or business can create the same product. If you have created a product, or have been manufacturing one for a while, it is important to check that there is no patent on that product already. If there is, and you continue manufacturing your product, you can be liable for a patent infringement suit. It is very important to avoid this. A patent infringement suit can be very costly and time-consuming. Do you know How to Avoid Patent Infringement? In order to protect yourself and your product, you should.
Start an Infringement Review
When you first come up with the idea for your product, before you even create the prototype, you should do a review in order to find out if there is another product like it which already exists.
How To Search For Existing Patents
There are several ways which you can search for patents on products similar to yours which already exist.
- Online Search: You can review the U.S. Patent Office’s website, or use PatentHunter, a software program, which offers a 60 day free trial for its use.
Contact the Competitor: If you believe that a competitor has a patent on a product resembling yours, but it is not showing up in any records, you can contact the company to find out if they have an existing patent. There is a chance that this competitor never patented their product.
Do Not Ignore Existing Patents
If you have found a product similar to yours, it is important that you do not ignore it, hoping that the original creator will not file an infringement suit. Most product creators are always on the lookout companies who are trying to create similar products and violating their rights.
Hire an Attorney
If you have identified a product which resembles yours, which has a patent, you should contact an attorney to do a patent infringement screening. This will help to determine if you would be creating patent infringement by putting a patent on your product.
Do you know How to Avoid Patent Infringement? You should as it is incredibly important. Edward L White PC Attorney At Law can help you be sure that you are not infringing on any other patent, saving you a great deal of money in the long run.