Ryan Corbett authored an article for the July/August 2020 issue of the Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal discussing the opportunities and benefits of filing a continuation application for patents to protect intellectual property. “From keeping competitors guessing, to shoring up unforeseen weaknesses in the original patent, there are many reasons why savvy patent applicants always try to keep a continuation application pending and why investors find value in this strategy,” he said.

Continuation applications offer several benefits when employed to modify the scope of a patent claim, including adaptability as the competitive landscape changes, lessened risk when modifying the claims of an issued patent, additional time and scope-broadening capability, and a more cost-effective process compared to reissue applications or reexamination requests. Keeping a continuation application pending at the PTO also has benefits if the patent owner is currently asserting the patent against an accused infringer by offering more flexibility against various claims brought by the infringer.

For the full article and more details on the benefits of leveraging continuation applications in a patent protection strategy, please click here.