Why International Inventors Might Want to Consider Filing Their First Patent Application at the United States Patent Office & the Convergence of Patent Harmonization and E-Commerce

Authors

Michael H. Anderson
Daniel Cislo
Jaime Saavedra
Kimberly Cameron

Abstract

On March 16, 2013, the United States implemented the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). Enactment of the AIA substantially enhances the value of U.S. provisional and non-provisional patent applications (PPAs and NPAs) to foreign applicants. Here, the authors endeavor to outline the procedural and strategic considerations facing foreign applicants for PPAs by offering a brief survey of protective foreign patent application law, followed by an analysis of the modern benefits of PPA filing in the post-AIA world. The analysis here suggests that the traditional benefits to foreign filers of PPAs encompassing term extension, cost-efficiency and secrecy have been amplified by the establishment of a first-to-file priority system in the United States.

Recommended Citation

Michael H. Anderson, Daniel Cislo, Jaime Saavedra, and Kimberly Cameron, Why International Inventors Might Want to Consider Filing Their First Patent Application at the United States Patent Office & the Convergence of Patent Harmonization and E-Commerce, 30 Santa Clara High Tech. L.J. 555 (2014).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/chtlj/vol30/iss4/1