Nolo's Patents for Beginners (Nolo's Patents for Beginners, 2nd ed)

Do you toil away in an office, garage or basement lab in the hopes of bringing a new goo-gaw to life? What will you do when the thingamajig is alive and kicking?

Here's the primer every first-time inventor needs. Packed with plain-English explanations and step-by-step instructions, Nolo's Patent for Beginners defines clearly and simply what a patent is and why you need one. The book shows you:

• how to document an invention for maximum protection
• how to tackle the time-and-money-saving, patent-searching process
• the patent application process
• who owns a patent
• how to avoid patent infringement

The 2nd editon of this bestseller covers new information about patent searching on the Internet, federal rules for patent writing, the 18-month publication rule, the controversial "Festo" decision, and foreign patents and patent agents.