Provisional Patent Application: A legal document filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that secures a filing date. Provisional applications cannot mature into an enforceable patent, are not examined, and lapse within a year of filing.
Read MoreProsecution History Estoppel: A legal doctrine that prevents a patentee from reclaiming, during litigation, the part of the scope of a patent claim that was surrendered during prosecution in order to obtain allowance of the patent.
Read MoreProfessional Negligence: A claim that a professional, such as a lawyer, doctor, wealth advisor, architect, or accountant, failed to fulfill a duty owed to another. For more information, see our Professional Negligence page.
Read MorePro Se: Someone representing themself before a legal tribunal. Often, a bad idea.
Read MorePrivacy Policies: Agreements that govern the rights to obtain, use, and disclose certain information. For more information, see our Privacy Policies page.
Read MorePrior Use: Use of a trademark in commerce in connection with specific goods or services. The person who uses a trademark first is called “senior user.”
Read MorePrior Art: Publicly available information in any form before a given date that might be relevant to a patent’s claims of novelty and non-obviousness.
Read MorePresumption of Validity: A legal assumption that a patent is presumed valid unless proven otherwise by clear and convincing evidence.
Read MorePreliminary Injunction: A court order made upon a showing of irreparable harm, often at the beginning of a case, that enjoins a party from certain proscribed actions. Occasionally, a preliminary injunction can require a party to commit certain actions.
Read MorePost Grant Review (PGR): Reviews conducted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office after the grant of a patent. For more information, see our Post Grant Review (PGR) page.
Read MorePOA: Power of Attorney, a legal document authorizing an individual or entity to act on behalf of another person or organization in legal or administrative matters, such as patent or trademark prosecution.
Read MorePLT: Patent Law Treaty, an international treaty aimed at harmonizing and simplifying formal procedures for patent application filing and prosecution, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Read MorePlant Patent: A type of patent granted for a new and distinct variety of plant that is asexually reproduced. See Patent Act, 35 U.S.C. Section 101.
Read MorePictorial Graphic and Sculptural Works: Under U.S. copyright law, pictorial graphic or sculptural works are creative works of art or design expressed in two-dimensional or three-dimensional form, eligible for copyright protection, which includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and architectural works, protected by copyright.
Read MorePhonorecords: Under U.S. copyright law, phonorecords are physical or digital copies of sound recordings, eligible for copyright protection, which includes CDs, vinyl records, tapes, or digital audio files, containing musical works or spoken content.
Read MorePhonetic Similarity of Trademarks: One of the likelihood of confusion factors in trademark law, two marks are compared to determine the degree to which they sound alike when spoken.
Read MorePetition to Revive an Application (Trademark Matters): A request submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to reinstate or revive an abandoned trademark application or registration due to unintentional delay or failure to respond to office actions.
Read MorePCT: Patent Cooperation Treaty, an international treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that allows applicants to file a single international patent application to seek protection for an invention in multiple countries.
Read MorePCT Regulations: The regulations governing the procedures and requirements for filing and prosecuting international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Read MorePatentable: Meeting the legal requirements for patent protection as determined by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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