Foreign Rights
A foreign country does not automatically recognize and protect a United States patent or vice versa. So, for the United States patent holder pursuing patents abroad, foreign applications must be filed. There are a number of time bars that a US inventor or patent holder must be aware of otherwise not meeting these time requirements could remove the chance for any patent protection whatsoever, either United States or foreign.
Schwegman is aware of these dates/deadlines and has numerous processes and safeguards in place to be sure these requirements are not overlooked. Many years, we sponsor a one day conference on PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) laws that our attorneys, paralegals, and docketing managers can attend to help stay up-to-date on procedures to file patent applications to its contracting states.