Intellectual Property

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All Articles on Intellectual Property

Can AI Be an Inventor? Here’s What the Patent Office Thinks

For nearly two centuries, the United States patent system operated on the unspoken assumption that the "inventor" was a human…

Right to Repair: Why You Can’t Fix Your Own Stuff and What’s Being Done About It

A smartphone slips from your hand, and the screen shatters. Your refrigerator stops cooling. In the middle of harvest season,…

When the Government Can Take Your Federally Funded Invention: A Guide to Bayh-Dole Act Rights

Every year, the U.S. government pours tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into research at universities, nonprofit institutes, and small…

How the Commerce Department Fights the $4.5 Trillion Counterfeit Goods Market

The global trade in counterfeit goods has become a criminal enterprise worth between $1.7 trillion and $4.5 trillion annually. This…

How the Government Protects Your Intellectual Property Overseas

Intellectual property is the lifeblood of the American economy. More than just an abstract legal concept, it represents the tangible…

A Guide to the ® and ™ Symbols

Walk through any grocery store or scroll through your favorite website, and you'll see them everywhere: those small ™ and…

Understanding the Different Types of Trademarks

A patent protects an invention. A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work. A trademark protects brand names and…

The Role of America’s Patent Examiners

Every year, more than half a million inventors and entrepreneurs from around the world submit their big ideas to a…