FAQs Patents

Legal defence: Can one be condemned to pay compensation damages for plagiarism if one distributes but does not materially produce?

Legal defence: Can one, without yet having obtained the patent, legally act against someone copying him?

Contracts: Can I sell my patent, deposited in Italy, to a French company? If yes, what type of contract should I choose?

Contracts: What fees are payable on contracts related to patents?

Patent: If I patent an object in Italy and then I show it to a company to commercialize it, can this latter (after refusing my proposal), file the patent abroad in order to get it granted and thereafter exploiting it in Italy and abroad?

Patent: After I filed the patent application, can I exhibit my invention to the public, even though the 18-month period needed for the publication has not yet passed?

Patent: Is it better to patent an invention abroad too before presenting it to a foreign company?

Patent: How long does a patent last?

Patent: Can various configurations of the same invention be protected with the same patent?

Patent: Is a european patent valid in Italy?

Patent: What happens if we patent something already existing, but has never been patented by others?

Patent: If it can be demonstrated the prior trading of a product that is subsequently been patented by others, can the patent be annulled?

Patent: How long after the filing of the patent will it be granted? And in the case that it cannot be granted, after how long will we be advised of this?

Patent: Must annual fees be paid in order to maintaining the validity of the patent?

Patent: Can the annual fees be paid directly without the help of an expert in patents?

Patent: If I file a patent application in Italy, since we are part of the European Community, is it automatically valid in all the Community countries?

Patent: Who is entitled to the rights of an invention of an employee?

Patent: Who is entitled to the rights in case of an invention been commissioned to a third party?

Patent: Can a patent be filed in the name of a person who is not the inventor? If yes, are there any particular conditions?

Patent: Is it possible filing a patent with validity throughout the world? If yes, how can it be done and what is the cost?

Patent: What values do claims have, and are they really necessary?

Patent: Must a search be done before patenting?

Patent: To file a patent is it necessary to have a prototype?

Patent: To file a patent must I have a prototype? If not, who takes care of verifying if the invention really works?

Patent: Can I file a patent abroad?

Patent: In order to get an object patented in Italy is it sufficient to check that nothing of the kind has been patented there, or is it necessary to take some other precautions?

Patent: How can a patent be filed?

Patent: Can a foreign citizen patent something in Italy?

Patent: Can I patent something by myself or do I have to consult an expert?

Patent: Is there any facilitation for filing an invention for those who can prove of not having any available funds?

Patent: Can an idea be protected without a patent?

Patent: What are the guarantees of secrecy in the months following the filing of a patent?

Patent: What is the difference between a patent and a trademark?

Patent: Can a patent be filed in a provisional form or at a Notary’s office?

Patent: What is the meaning of “public’s advanced accessibility”?