Patent Infringement Under United States Law
In the United States, a patent provides its proprietor with the right to exclude others from utilizing the invention claimed in that patent. Should a person utilize that invention, without the permission of the patent proprietor, they may infringe that patent.
More specifically, an infringement may occur where the defendant has made, used, sold, offered to sell, or imported an infringing invention or its equivalent.
No infringement action may be started until the patent is issued. However, pre-grant protection is available under 35 U.S.C. § 154(d), which allows a patent owner to obtain reasonable royalty damages for certain infringing activities that occurred before patent's date of issuance. This right to obtain provisional damages requires a patent holder to show that (1) the infringing activities occurred after the publication of the patent application, (2) the patented claims are substantially identical to the claims in the published application, and (3) the infringer had "actual notice" of the published patent application.
Read more about Patent Infringement Under United States Law: Direct Infringement, Indirect Infringement, Defenses, Remedies
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