Jason Balich, Wolf Greenfield; Patents Expire But Trademarks Can Last Forever
"So, the next time you are looking to protect a good or service, don't just limit yourself to contemplating patent protection. These days, utility patents have a 20-year term from the filing date of the application and design patents have a 15-year term from date of grant. In contrast, trademarks can last forever."
John Naughton, The Guardian; Something is afoot with copyright this Public Domain Day
"The issue highlighted by Public Domain Day is not that intellectual property is evil but that aspects of it – especially copyright – have been monopolised and weaponised by corporate interests and that legislators have been supine in the face of their lobbying. Authors and inventors need protection against being ripped off. It’s obviously important that clever people are rewarded for their creativity and the patent system does that quite well. But if a patent only lasts for 20 years, why on earth should copyright last for life plus 70 years for a novel? You only have to ask the question to realise that the founders of the American republic at least got that one right. Happy new year."
