Author: Aindrila Mitra
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Design vs Utility Patents: Which One Fits Your Product
When you’re building something new, you’re moving fast. You’re sketching, testing, fixing, and pushing out updates before anyone else can catch up. But at some point, you realize something important: if you don’t protect what you’re building, someone else can copy it. And they can move just as fast as you—or faster. That’s usually the…
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Design Patents 101: What They Protect (and Don’t)
Most founders don’t think about design patents until it’s too late. They’re busy building, shipping, fixing bugs, talking to users, raising money, and trying to stay a few steps ahead of copycats. But the truth is simple: if your product has a unique look—and that look gives it value—you can lose a lot if someone…
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National Phase Playbook: A Step-by-Step Plan from PCT to Grant
Going from a PCT filing to getting patents granted in different countries can feel like you’re walking into a maze with no map. Every country has its own rules, timelines, and small details that can trip you up. And when you’re building a startup, the last thing you want is a slow or messy patent…
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Post-Grant View: Annuities, Oppositions, and Enforcement by Region
After a patent is granted, the real work starts. Most founders don’t hear this enough. You finally get that patent number, you feel the win, and then you realize something new: keeping a patent alive and strong is an ongoing game. You need to pay the right fees on time. You need to watch for…
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Using PatentScope: Find Prior Art and Competitor Families
It’s easy to feel lost when you’re trying to figure out what already exists in the world of patents. You might hear people talk about “prior art” or “patent families,” and it can sound like a maze. But once you know how to use PatentScope the right way, you’ll see it’s actually a powerful tool…
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Deadlines That Matter: 30 vs 31 Months and Local Extensions
Sometimes the smallest deadlines turn into the biggest problems. If you’ve ever tried to juggle patents while building a startup, you already know this. There’s one set of deadlines in particular that catches founders off guard: the 30-month and 31-month national phase entry deadlines under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, plus the strange, uneven world of…
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Common PCT Formality Errors—and How to Fix Them Quickly
Filing a PCT application should feel like hitting the fast-forward button on global patent protection. But for most founders and engineers, it feels more like walking through mud. Not because the tech is hard—your invention is the easy part—but because the rules around PCT filings are strict, picky, and often confusing. A tiny mistake can…
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Amendments at Entry: How Much Change Is Safe in Each Office
When you enter a new country during the patent process, you often get one big question right away: How much can I safely change? Every patent office has its own rules about what you can fix, what you can’t touch, and what will get you in trouble. And the truth is, this moment matters more…
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Managing Agents Worldwide: Engagement, Quotes, and QA
Different time zones. Different habits. Different standards. Different ways of quoting work, reporting progress, and checking quality. One weak link can slow your entire patent plan, drain money, or even put your rights at risk. And for startups or fast-moving teams, that’s not something you can afford. But the truth is, managing global agents does…
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Using PCT for Biotech/Medtech: Data, Claims, and Country Picks
If you build anything in biotech or medtech, you already know one thing: speed is everything. You’re racing the science, the market, the regulators, and sometimes even the clock on your own funding. And when you’re moving that fast, the last thing you want is a messy, slow, confusing patent process blocking your path. How…