How to Invent and Protect Your Invention: A Guide to Patents for Scientists and Engineers

CHAPTER 12. FOREIGN PATENTS

1. Can a U.S. patent be enforced in Canada?

2. Do most countries offer utility patents?

3. What is a ``utility model'' or ``mini-patent''?

4. List at least two features of U.S. patent law that are not common in other countries’ patent laws.

5. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) established a uniform procedure for filing patent applications. The signatories of the PCT have agreed to a single standardized patent application. What does the filing of a PCT (or “international”) application accomplish?

6. How persuasive is the preliminary report issued by the International Searching Authority?

7. How long does an inventor have to file a U.S. patent application if she first files a PCT application?

8. Give three potential reasons for filing a PCT application rather than a national application.

9. How does the European Patent Office differ from the International Patent Cooperation Union?

10. What are the European Patent Office equivalents of usefulness, novelty and unobviousness? How do they differ from U.S. requirements?

11. What happens when a patent is granted by the European Patent Office?

12. Why do some people compare European patents to identical twins?

13. Do you have to go through the European Patent Office to get a patent in any European nation?

14. What are the differences between English and German approaches to claims interpretation? Which approach does the U.S. use?

15. What is “delayed examination”?

16. Do all countries allow ...