At Kolisch Hartwell, we strive to meet our clients’ goals in the most efficient possible way. In the case of a U.S. company seeking to obtain IP rights in foreign countries, this often means utilizing international treaty procedures.
For instance, the use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty allows us to preserve foreign utility patent rights for at least 30 months after filing a corresponding U.S. application. In combination with new USPTO programs such as the First Action Interview Program and the Prioritized Patent Examination Program, this allows our clients to gauge patentability in the United States before committing extensive resources to a foreign patent effort.
Similarly, the Hague Convention treaty, which the United States joined in May 2015, allows us to seek design patent protection in dozens of countries through a single international application. This can be done without engaging foreign attorneys and at a fraction of the cost of filing separate applications in every country.
In the trademark regime, we often recommend the use of the Madrid Protocol treaty procedures to file trademark applications in many foreign countries simultaneously, without engaging any foreign attorneys. The result can be issuance of a large number of foreign trademark registrations, again at a fraction of the cost of applying in each country separately.