Protecting the Product of the Mind

A famous adage says that “Knowledge is Power,” indeed it is—for the power of human mind have created breakthroughs that centuries ago were not dreamt possible.

In today's generation, everything we see is pretty normal. From Dvd's to touch screen phones, we find inventions valuable because it tend to be useful, and better yet, it entertain us. But for those people who have seen things outside the box, more of our useful technologies are not mere creations, they are magnificent products of the mind that deserve to be used in responsible ways; and the inventors, they deserved to be given gratitude and honor for sharing what they have done to millions of people around the globe.

Painstakingly, only a few are respecting the rights of our creators. The rampant piracy and infringement, which are violation of copyrights and intellectual property make inventors threatened to materialize the knowledge they have. Definitely, who would want to work hard for a masterpiece that will not attributed to its creator in the end? It is good that today, many countries are being strict regarding patent and granted inventors with the right to protect the product/s of their mind. Though there still are law-breakers who practice underground piracies, these bad guys should worry, because the cold bars of the jail awaits them whenever they will be caught.

To discuss further, patents are defined to be a grant from the government given to individuals or group of people for the property right of an invention. In the United States, it is issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The length of its validity normally stands until 20 years from the date it was filed by the inventor or owner.

There are three types of patent which an inventor can choose according to that his or her invention is:

Utility Patent: A type of patent issued to inventions which are new and “useful.” It can be a process, machine, article of manufacture or a composition of matter which are newly created or improved by the creator.

Design Patent: This is a type of patent which is mostly applicable to visual artists of any category. It is granted to new and original ornamental design of a manufacture. It permits the designer/owner to prohibit other people from copying, selling, or using the design in a fourteen year period without authorization.

Plant Patent: Agriculturists and horticulturists are usually the people who benefit from this type of patent as it is given to people who were able to produce or culture another specie of plant including newfound seedlings and plant hybrids.

Obtaining a patent takes about 18 to 24 months upon application. The inventor needs to pay a cost depending on the written description of the inventor. Normally, the cost can range from $10,000 to $25,000 in the United States. However, the cost may increase as there are additional fees to be completed such as foreign filling fees etc.

The importance of getting a patent for inventors cannot be taken for granted especially especially if they value their creations highly. Any product created uniquely by a person or group of people should be rightly rewarded through royalties and judgments they must obtain.