Presenter

Edlyn Simmons, Simmons Patent Information Service, LLC

Abstract

This workshop will explain the fundamentals of patent law, the meaning of terminology used in patent databases, and the significance of patent laws to searching and reporting patent information.  This is the underlying framework that usually "goes without saying" when patent searchers are trained.

Topics will include the conditions for patentability, ownership and assignment of patent rights, priority and the Paris Convention, patenting procedures, patent families, and variability among the patent laws of the United States and other patenting authorities, and will include recent changes that may affect patent searches.