This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ghakko(talk | contribs) at 13:56, 13 June 2005(Fixed typo in link to USPTO "Patent Rules" document). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 13:56, 13 June 2005 by Ghakko(talk | contribs)(Fixed typo in link to USPTO "Patent Rules" document)
The text of U.S. patents is in the public domain[1]. Patent illustrations may be copyrighted, but U.S. patent regulations explicitly require applicants to allow "the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records" (37 C.F.R. 1.71). The patent on the invention itself may not yet have expired, and trademark protection is not affected by a mark's appearance in a patent.
