For high-technology companies, an intellectual property portfolio is a valuable asset. A comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, may include trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and/or patents. This article addresses international protection of patents.
In a typical situation, a company submits a patent application in its domestic territory or country with a goal of securing a contractual right from the government to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing into that domestic territory that which is covered by a corresponding issued patent. A patent issuing from the patent application will offer patent protection only within borders of that single domestic territory. However, in exchange for the patent protection, the patent application is published within a specified time limit of filing the patent application for the benefit of the world.
