Monday, March 20, 2006

Interpreting 'Patentese'

Do you know what the heck your patent attorney means when you hear that there was a rejection based on prior art, or that there was an objection to the specification, or even that your patent claims were allowed? Hard as we try, we still often lapse into speaking "patentese" (a specialized field of "legalese"). You should never be afraid to ask your lawyer to explain. After all, they work for you. But, if you are hesitant to point out our failure to actually speak English, you needn't suffer any longer.

Patently-O: Patent Law Blog to the rescue. Dennis Crouch recently posted links to a few patent glossaries, claiming that they are "a great place to start if you are a new lawyer, agent, or paralegal trying to learn the trade." The only thing I would change about this statement is to include a patent-seeker or a patentee in this group of people.

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