Question
If I file for patent protection in the United States, does this make it easier to gain patent protection in other countries? Due to financial constraints, it does not seem realistic for us (startup, Cambridge MA) to apply for a patent in multiple jurisdictions. Can we still gain some advantage by registering in the US?
Answers: 3 public & 1 private
Filing in the U.S. alone will not help you and will not give you any protection overseas. If you are concerned about protection in other regions/countries, you should definitely evaluate your strategy. PCT coverage is wide and would give you extra time to consider where you want to file nationally, but is also more expensive than filing in the U.S. only, and will eventually require you to file nationally. Another option is to determine what countries/regions might be the early target markets for your IP and file only in those countries. Long-term, worldwide patent protection can be very expensive; therefore the most important item is to have an IP strategy in place before you make any decisions.
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