Once they close, the patent files are boxed up and sent to an outside law firm selected to manage the portfolio.

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Ending patent protection usually requires a law suit, because the patent owner files follow-on patents of lesser merit to extend the patent period, and a court has to decide at what point the incremental patents are invalid.

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However, in many other countries, the patent is awarded to the inventor who files the first patent application.

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Suppose, further, that an employee at Company B independently conceives the same invention in June and files for a patent in July.

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Such lawsuits are strengthened if the brand-name drug company files a new patent covering, say, the colour of the pill bottle just before the main patent is about to expire.

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The company that doesn't make anything or even have a web site, but files so many patent lawsuits that some companies have taken to pre-emptively filing suits for declaratory judgment against it?

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Consider, for example, the case of an employee at Company A, who conceives an invention in May, works diligently to reduce it to practice, and files the corresponding patent application in August.

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As suggested by a newly uncovered Apple patent, you would be able to manipulate and control graphical elements on your display, such as icons, media files, text and images.

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