National Stage Application: A patent application filed in a national or regional patent office following the international phase of a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application, seeking examination and approval in individual countries or regions.
Read MoreMultiple Dependent Claim: A patent claim that depends on two or more other claims.
Read MoreMPEP: Manual of Patent Examining Procedure.
Read MoreMisappropriation: Where one party takes the intellectual property of another. This term is commonly used to refer to trade secret misappropriation, but applies broadly. For more information, see our Misappropriation page.
Read MoreMergers & Acquisitions: Used in corporate law, where one or more entities are acquired or merged together. For more information, see our Mergers & Acquisitions page.
Read MoreMerely Descriptive: Where a trademark merely describes the good or service and is generally not protectable or enforceable without a showing of secondary meaning.
Read MoreMeans Plus Function: A patent claim that claims an element by the function it achieves as opposed to specific structure of the element.
Read MoreMaster Service Agreements: A common agreement between a vendor and a customer that typically references a statement of work (SOW) for each additional project. For more information, see our Master Service Agreements page.
Read MoreMask Work: A type of intellectual property law protected under the U.S. Copyright Act, that involves three-dimensional layout or topography used in semiconductor chips.
Read MoreMarkush Doctrine: A legal principle allowing patent claims to encompass a group or series of alternative elements or components.
Read MoreMark: A word, phrase, symbol, design, or combination thereof used to identify and distinguish the goods or services of one seller or from those of others in the marketplace. Use of protectable trademarks in commerce generate goodwill for the mark owner.
Read MoreMaintenance Fees: Fees required to maintain the validity and enforceability of a patent or trademark registration.
Read MoreMadrid Protocol: The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks, an international treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that allows trademark owners to register their marks in multiple countries through a single application.
Read MoreLuxury Brand Protection: Protection of trademarks and copyrights owned by luxury brands. Often involves anti-counterfeiting measures. For more information, see our Luxury Brand Protection page.
Read MoreLiterary Works: In copyright law, literary works are a special kind of creative work that is expressed in written or printed form, including novels, poems, plays, screenplays, and other literary compositions protected by copyright.
Read MoreLikelihood of Confusion: In trademark law, the possibility that consumers may mistakenly believe that goods or services emanate from a source different from their actual source because of similarities between the marks; overlap in customer base, channels of trade, and forms of marking; or intentional copying, for example.
Read MoreLicensor: The owner of intellectual property granting rights to the licensee.
Read MoreLicense: Permission granted to a third party, which allows for usage of intellectual property rights.
Read MoreLicense Agreement: An agreement that provides certain rights to intellectual property to a third party under certain terms and conditions, like scope, geographic territory, and term.
Read MoreLetters Patent: A document issued by a government authority, such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granting an official patent.
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