It is a question that we are frequently asked: ‘I have patents and trademarks, so how do I put a notice on my products and website to notify competitors of my intellectual property rights?’
Whilst driving home from a recent ski trip with my family, I noticed the following on a cardboard sleeve used by Starbucks® to hold my piping hot triple-shot cappuccino:
Curiosity took me to the stated page: www.lbpmfg.com/patents/, and I liked the way this was laid out.
The company’s rights are clearly displayed in a table, with a picture of the product, and the trademarked name …
… followed by the associated patent rights:
If curious, the granted patent rights can be viewed at US8,529,723 and US9,056,712.
(Interestingly, their associated right US9,580,228, granted in 2017, is not listed on their web page, so it does seem that LBP Manufacturing are behind with their updates.)
Undertaking a manufacturing run, whilst having pending patent and trademark applications, costs money to reprint or retool once your applications are finally allowed and become granted or registered rights. This usually results in a new ‘grant’ number, particularly for patent rights.
To this end, having a single website address which can be referred to on your products and literature, and which can be easily updated as new rights are won and older rights lapse, will save time and costs downstream.
Why Do I Want To Notify Others Of My IP Rights?
Let’s look briefly at the UK, and also the USA to answer this question.
In the UK, there are provisions for at least a partial defence against infringement if the infringer can argue that they were ignorant of the existence of the patent or similar rights. See ‘Section 62(1)’ on the UKIPO’s website.
The onus is on the infringer to prove that they were not aware.
Being clearly directed to a list of your IP rights by a statement on your product or associated literature makes this defence difficult or impossible to use.
There are no specific requirements, under UK patent law, for a patent owner to state their rights publicly (but why wouldn’t you? You have paid for the asset, why not use it to protect your market?). Under US patent law, legal damages will not accrue until an effective notice of rights is given.
35 USC 287(a), since the introduction of the America Invents Act (AIA) in 2011, gives the option of ‘virtual’ marking to avoid the necessity of physical marking. Virtual marking is as shown above, where LBP Manufacturing has put a statement on their cardboard sleeve of ‘Patent’ followed by their internet address for a web page that outlines a complete and up-to-date list of associated patent rights. See Page L-67 of the MPEP from the USPTO for more specifics.
As alluded to above, since you have paid to stake a claim to your intellectual property, why would you not make the best use of the assets? Use the rights as a ‘keep off the grass’ sign to deter your competitors.
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