What You Need to Know About Software Patenting

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What You Need to Know About Software Patenting
Software has become an integral part of our
everyday lives, even if it is on the smallest of
levels, such as turning the lights on or off.
Within the software industry, there is a pressing
need to protect all new innovations and ideas,
especially for companies that are just starting
out. A software patent provides protection for
innovations and keeps new companies in
competition with a large organization while
giving them the opportunity to capitalize on
their own invention and not letting large
organizations steal ideas and execute them on a
larger scale. The Difference Between Software
and Copyright It is important to note the
distinction between copyrights and patents. Where
patents are designed to protect inventions,
copyrights are designed to protect
expression. For example, if you were to write
code that serves a particular function, you could
copyright the actual code by sending it to the
copyright office and getting it registered. If
another person were to write a code for the same
function, it would not infringe on your copyright
as long as it is even minimally different than
yours. Patents, on the other hand, protect the
entire idea you had behind the code. If you want
to protect your software and make t so that you
exclusively have the right to execute it, then
you need to file a patent. The Berne Convention
for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
offers automatic copyright protection to
countries that are a part of the
convention. Anytime software is created in one of
these countries, some basic protection is already
given to it by default. Patents, on the other
hand, follow a complex filing procedure, and you
need to apply for a patent in each of the
countries you want protection in. You can even
apply for international protection by submitting
an application under the Patent Cooperation
Treaty.
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Once the application is put up for consideration,
each country grants or denies the patent
depending upon its own laws. Even though the
patenting process is complicated and expensive,
many software developers still opt for a patent
over copyright, as a patent provides much more
protection. PatentPC If you are looking for an
IP law firm that can help you safeguard your
innovations, the only firm you need to consider
is PatentPC. They are a company dedicated to
helping its clients protect their intellectual
property, and they invest a lot of time and
resources in the effort of developing and
implementing systems that can improve a clients
experience on the market. PatentPC has its
office in a number of locations like Silicon
Valley, Vietnam, and Kenya, and through this
global spread, they are able to serve both large
companies and startups in various parts of the
world.