Is it too late to patent a product after it has been sold or publicly disclosed?
Maybe not. Ideally, you would have filed patent applications before selling or publicly disclosing your product. Since we do not live in an ideal world, it’s better to be late than never. It might not be too late to patent your product even if it’s already on the market. Let’s see if there is still time for you to get a US patent. But, first we need to understand what a public disclosure is and is not.
Need late patent filing options? Contact US patent attorney Vic Lin at (949) 223-9623 or email vlin@icaplaw.com to explore your options.
What does public disclosure mean?
A public disclosure refers to a non-confidential passing of information regarding an invention. A granted foreign patent or publication of a patent application would be public disclosure.
Your own activities may publicly disclose your concept. For example, exhibiting your product on a website or at a trade show such as CES would be considered public disclosure.
Other examples include printed publications, information shown online, pitches to investors without an NDA, invention competitions, product launches and sales, public use, etc.
Information that is accessible and available to the public, even if it’s not widely known, may be considered public disclosure. MPEP § 2152 provides some guidance on the meaning of public disclosure.
What is the rule for late patent applications in the US?
An inventor may file both design and utility patent applications in the US within one year of their earliest date of public disclosure or sale. This is known as the 1-year grace period for filing patent applications in the US only. For utility patents, a late applicant may file either provisional or nonprovisional applications in the US within the one-year grace period.
Too Late for a Design Patent? Consider Filing a Copyright Application
Copyright applications do not have filing deadlines triggered by an earlier disclosure. If you are too late to file a design patent, consider filing a copyright application instead. Keep in mind that copyright protection would not apply to functional products or utilitarian features.
If you have a visually unique 2-dimensional artwork or 3-dimensional structure, the artistic feature of the useful article may be eligible for copyright protection if meets the separability test. First, the separability test requires that the feature can be identified separately from the useful article. Second, the feature must qualify as a protectable pictorial, graphic or sculptural work either on its own or fixed in some other tangible medium.
What very late patent filing options are available for a product that has already been sold or publicly disclosed?
Suppose your product has already been sold and any foreign grace periods have already lapsed. What foreign filing options are available when a significant amount of time has passed? One international patent strategy may be to think of new product modifications that have not yet been publicly disclosed. You may then be able to apply internationally to cover the new and improved version.
The more substantial the changes, the better. Insignificant modifications will increase the risk of rejections based on obviousness as defined in each foreign country.
Can late foreign patents be filed after public disclosure?
Probably not. Foreign countries are typically more strict than the US. Most foreign patent laws do not provide any grace period. Instead, they observe a rigid rule called “absolute novelty bar” meaning that patenting is not an option for products already disclosed to the public.
However, each foreign country has its own patent laws which may provide some exceptions. If a grace period happens to be available in a particular country, the duration will most likely be short so you must act quickly.
Can you file a late PCT application?
An international PCT application is due by the 12-month deadline of your priority date. If you blew past the 12-month deadline, there might be a 2-month grace period for filing a PCT application depending upon the Receiving Office (RO). In other words, a late PCT application may be filed within 14 months of the priority date of a previously filed patent application.
Pursuant to PCT Rule 26bis.3, a late PCT filing must include a request to restore the right of priority. The standards for granting the request differ by Receiving Office. Choose, therefore, the patent office in the country with more lenient criteria assuming the applicant is qualified to file there.
Have questions on US or international late patent options?
Contact patent attorney Vic Lin or call (949) 223-9623 to explore the possibility of filing late patent applications in the US or foreign countries.
