Patents – protection for technical inventions

An invention can be any kind of product or process, but only new inventions can be patented. The invention must also be commercially useful and considered different enough from existing products or processes in terms of intellectual property law.

Keep your invention confidential
If you decide to patent your invention, you must keep your idea confidential until you have submitted your application to an intellectual property office. The invention must not have been publicised in any way prior to submission. You should not present your invention at trade fairs and try not to involve sales, business or development partners at this stage.

Intellectual property office procedure
Before you apply for a patent, you should consult a patent attorney to find out how to ensure sufficient protection for your invention. The product or process must be described in a way that satisfies intellectual property law requirements and makes use of the necessary specialist terminology, which technical experts are not usually very familiar with. Thanks to their extensive experience in precisely this area, the patent attorneys at IPS Irsch are well-versed in a wide variety of technical disciplines.

The patent attorneys at IPS Irsch
As physicists, chemists and engineers specialising in energy and environmental technologies, our patent attorneys can discuss technical issues with clients using technical language to fully understand their ideas. If a client subsequently decides to apply for a patent, their submission will be assessed by the relevant intellectual property office. During the examination procedure, we will gladly be responsible for the entire, mostly written, correspondence with the various official bodies.

Protect your invention
A patent gives you the right to forbid third parties from using your invention for commercial purposes. As the holder of the patent, you can, however, transfer that right to others – either by selling the patent or granting licences. The patent is only valid in countries where it is registered and in force. In countries without patent protection, the inventions can be freely used by third parties.

Can it be patented?
Not everything can be patented. For instance, theoretical concepts such as mathematical or business methods, ideas and scientific theories are generally exempt from patenting. However the practical or technical application of such methods can certainly be patented. Further examples of things that generally cannot be protected by a patent include methods for treating the human body, learning techniques and lottery systems. US patent law does, however, permit certain exceptions for patents in the USA.

Your inventions and ideas are unique. IPS Irsch makes sure they're well protected.