![](/template/termwiki/images/likesmall.jpg)
Home > Industry/Domain > Law; Legal services > Patent & trademark
Patent & trademark
Terms related to patent and trademark applications and infringement litigations. A patent is a form of intellectual property and associated rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time. A trademark, on the other hand, is a distinctive mark or name used by an individual or business organization to identify and distinguish its products or services from those of other entities.
Industry: Law; Legal services
Add a new termContributors in Patent & trademark
Patent & trademark
Request for continued examination (RCE)
Legal services; Patent & trademark
A request filed in an application in which prosecution is closed (e.g., the application is under final rejection or a notice of allowance) that is filed to reopen prosecution and continue examination ...
Blackout period
Legal services; Patent & trademark
The period between the date the examining attorney approves the mark for publication and the date of issuance of the Notice of Allowance. The applicant may not file an Allegation of Use during this ...
International bureau (IB)
Legal services; Patent & trademark
The secretariat of the WIPO which, among other functions, centralises information of various kinds relating to the protection of intellectual property.
Statement of use (SOU)
Legal services; Patent & trademark
A sworn statement signed by the applicant or a person authorised to sign on behalf of the applicant attesting to use of the mark in commerce. With a statement of use, the owner must submit: (1) a ...
Application number (patent)
Legal services; Patent & trademark
The unique number assigned to a patent application when it is filed. The application number includes a two digit series code and a six digit serial number
Postcard receipt
Legal services; Patent & trademark
A self-addressed, stamped postcard with itemised list of parts of patent application and number of pages per MPEP 503; used as a receipt for what was submitted in an application
Enforceability of patent
Legal services; Patent & trademark
The right of the patent owner to bring an infringement suit against a party who, without permission, makes, uses or sells the claimed invention. The period of enforceability of a patent is the length ...