Last Updated on Thursday, 9 February 2012 07:27 Written by dbhalling Thursday, 9 February 2012 07:27

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The America Invents Act (AIA) has changed the rules for marking products with patents.  The law allows you to “mark” you product by providing a website that explains which patents cover which products.  This is a positive step to move the patent system into the 21^st century.

The reason for marking you product with a patent number is that it provides “constructive notice” to infringers of your patent.  Damages for patent infringement accrue from the date of actual or constructive notice to the infringer.  As a result, the damages you may recover will be larger the sooner an infringer is deemed to have notice of your patent.

From a practical point of view, having a website explaining which patents cover which products is significantly easier and less expensive than marking the actual product or the product’s packaging.  If it is not too expensive to also mark your product or its packaging I would suggest that inventor’s do both.

 

Here is how Section 16 of the AIA reads:

(a) VIRTUAL MARKING.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 287(a) of title 35, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘or when,’’ and inserting ‘‘or by fixing thereon the word ‘patent’ or the abbreviation ‘pat.’ together with an address of a posting on the Internet, accessible to the public without charge for accessing the address, that associates the patented article with the number of the patent, or when,’’.

(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by this subsection shall apply to any case that is pending on, or commenced on or after, the date of the enactment of this Act.