FAQ

FAQ


No. There are a number of edge cases where the expiry date is incorrect - the USPTO even provides a patent expiry calculator. For patents issued 20 years ago, "issue date + 20 years" should hold true as a very basic rule of thumb. Please do not build a business based on one of the displayed patents without first checking what other, newer patents may also affect said invention - the site is merely meant as a starting point to get inspired; the actual research should follow suit.
Generally, yes. The underlying idea of the patent system is is that for a given number of years, your invention is protected, and can only be used by others with your consent. After it has expired, you can't re-patent it "as is", but you can sometimes patent a derivative (e.g. an improvement of the same base idea). A common issue is that there sometimes can be a number of patents behind an idea, often interlinked, so it is frequently difficult to determine whether you can "use" the expired patent.
I believe so. The majority of patents are never commercialized by their original inventors - yet, they went through the (often costly and time-consuming) process of patenting it. This in itself obviously doesn't guarantee that there is a viable target market for this idea, or that it can be produced at a reasonable price-point. You should use this site as a trove of inspiration, not as a collection of blueprints.
This depends heavily on the product itself and the industry. For a preliminary read, I recommend this book by Dan Olsen (affiliate link).

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This site does not constitute legal advice. Please double-check the patent expiry date at uspto.gov. Some patents may have been granted extensions or may have been improved upon, and that improvement can still be in force. This site uses DataTables (designed and created by SpryMedia Ltd © 2007-2016. MIT licensed) and the PatentsView.org API (CC Attribution 4.0 licensed).