Legal matter patentability

CASSIS software See legal matter patent search. 

In general, companies in the plastics industry can obtain patents upon the processes they use to manufacture new materials (Chapter 4, DESIGNING AND LEGAL MATTER). However, since a processed patent discloses a great deal of information that may be useful to competitors even though they are not using or do not wish to use the exact process as that described in the patent. Some firms in the industry do not... 

Plants. AsexuaHy reproducing plants, ie, those not propagated by means of seed, also represent a legally recognized class of patentable subject matter under U.S. patent laws. Additionally, the inventor must have discovered and asexuaHy reproduced the plant that is to be the subject of the patent apphcation. Plant patents are assigned a different series of numbers than the majority of patents discussed in the foregoing, such as U.S. Plant Patent No. 3,360 titled "Peach Tree" (7). 

One of the requirements for obtaining a patent is that the claimed subject matter in the patent not be obvious in view of prior art (previously disclosed patents and publications). Obviousness [16] and prior art [17] are legally codified in Title 35 of the United States Code. 

As already mentioned, a patent gives the patentee a monopoly protection during its life, but it is up to the patentee to enforce his rights by detecting whether someone is infringing the patent, and then initiating legal action if the matter cannot be settled. 

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