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Simple English definitions for legal terms

in-force patent

Read a random definition: Colorado River abstention

A quick definition of in-force patent:

An in-force patent is a legal document that gives the inventor the right to stop others from making, using, or selling their invention for a certain amount of time (usually 20 years). It's like a special permission from the government to be the only one who can use their invention. This is to encourage inventors to share their ideas with the public, so that everyone can benefit from new and useful things. If someone else tries to use the invention without permission, they can get in trouble.

A more thorough explanation:

Definition: An in-force patent is a legal document granted by the government that gives the inventor the right to exclude others from making, using, marketing, selling, offering for sale, or importing an invention for a specified period (usually 20 years from the date of filing) if the device or process is novel, useful, and non-obvious. It is a limited monopoly designed to encourage public disclosure of inventions so that after the monopoly expires, the public is free to take unrestricted advantage of the invention.

Examples:

  • A patent for a new type of smartphone that allows users to control it with their thoughts.
  • A patent for a new type of solar panel that is more efficient than previous models.
  • A patent for a new type of medication that cures a previously untreatable disease.

These examples illustrate how an in-force patent gives the inventor the exclusive right to profit from their invention for a certain period of time. During this time, no one else can make, use, or sell the invention without the inventor's permission. This encourages inventors to share their ideas with the public, knowing that they will have a limited time to profit from their invention before it becomes available to everyone.

in force | in forma communi

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General

General chat about the legal profession.
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Tell us what's important to you
to be fair this accurately represents my mental state
election day psychosis coming in hot (fordham)
usc pls pull through .....
i literally just need one A so i can relax before my ED decision
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:38
oh that's right USC might release
soapy
9:43
USC still has not looked at my app
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:43
when did you submit soapy?
soapy
9:44
10/16
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:44
to be fair it took them almost 2 months for me to go under review
soapy
9:44
Feelin a bit stressed, as I've got no date change for Michigan either despite applying 10/7
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:45
I have not had a date change either for Mich but I've seen people get in without one so who knows
I applied 9/25 to like 6 schools and some (Houston) have no date change yet so dw
soapy
9:46
But do people get in without addresses going long?
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
9:46
it's tough to tell because a lot of people type out their addresses long to begin with
soapy
9:46
Ah. I didn't. Looking back, my Mich supplement kind of sucks, so there's that
Mich overrated (Dean Z please let me in even tho i didnt apply and I am below both 25ths)
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:01
The "date changes" at Michigan really don't mean anything. We had to do them in undergrad admissions whenever a Georgia applicant picked the country instead of the state, because we'd have to remove the TOEFL requirement and reassign the application from the international application readers.
soapy
10:06
Classy, does that mean they may look at your application, and that look doesn't necessarily trigger any date change?
1a2b3c4d26z
10:06
Man
1a2b3c4d26z
10:07
Walkin to the bus
1a2b3c4d26z
10:07
What a good day to get into law school
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:11
@soapy: I don't know for sure about the law school. For undergrad, once the application is complete, it's assigned to a reader the following Monday. If we had to make any changes, it's because a reader saw something that needed to be changed and the application needed to be re-read after that change.
soapy
10:12
Ahh, got it. Thank you for the insight!
ClassyPleasantHeron
10:14
You're welcome. FWIW, I have no idea what's up with the address changes. We didn't have to do any of that, except for the Georgia state vs country kinds of things.
soapy
10:15
I've heard it theorized that some schools will change the address from "St." --> "Street" as they prepare to send out admissions packets. That's the rumor, anyways.
i think it just indicates a change in status like under review or stages of review
my stanford address went long as soon as it was marked complete lmao
soapy
10:25
I saw some Reddit adcom say that they can see any time we refresh the status checker; I wonder if it's a red flag if an applicant's checked it like 50 times in a day?
soapy
10:25
Also, can we send another LoR to a school that we've already applied to?
soapy
10:26
Or another essay?
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