What Is a Patented Product?

For a product to qualify as a patented product, it must satisfy several statutory requirements. The invention must be novel, meaning it has not been previously disclosed or patented. The patented product must also demonstrate non-obviousness to someone skilled in the relevant field. Additionally, the product must have a useful purpose or application. These criteria ensure that only genuinely innovative inventions receive patent protection. Patent examiners at the USPTO carefully evaluate each application to confirm these requirements are met before granting a patent.

Three primary types of patents can protect a patented product. Utility patents cover the functional aspects and how the product works, representing the most common form of patent protection. Design patents protect the ornamental or aesthetic features of a patented product, including its shape, color, and surface patterns. Plant patents protect new varieties of plants that have been asexually reproduced. Each type of patent provides different protections and serves distinct purposes in safeguarding innovation.

A patented product may be subject to liability claims if it contains defects that cause injury. Courts recognize that patent protection does not extend to protecting manufacturers from liability for defective products that harm consumers. A product can be both patented and defective simultaneously, meaning the patent does not provide immunity from product liability. Manufacturers of patented products must still comply with safety standards and regulations. If a patented product fails to meet safety requirements or causes foreseeable harm, the manufacturer may face substantial liability regardless of patent status.

Consumers who suffer product injury from a patented product have legal recourse under New York product liability law. These claims may be based on strict liability, negligence, or breach of warranty. A patented product that causes injury due to inadequate warnings, poor design, or manufacturing defects creates liability exposure for the manufacturer. New York courts have consistently held that patent status does not diminish manufacturers' obligations to ensure product safety and to warn consumers of known hazards.

Patent holders can pursue several remedies when their patented product is infringed. Injunctive relief prevents the infringing party from continuing unauthorized manufacture or sale of the patented product. Damages awards compensate the patent holder for lost profits or a reasonable royalty based on unauthorized use. In cases of willful infringement, courts may award enhanced damages up to three times the actual damages. Attorney fees may be recovered in exceptional cases. These remedies incentivize respect for patent rights and provide meaningful recourse for patent holders.

Defendants accused of infringing a patented product may assert various defenses. One common defense challenges the validity of the patent itself, arguing that the patented product does not meet statutory requirements for patentability. The doctrine of equivalents defense argues that the accused product performs substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result as the patented product, but may not literally infringe. Invalidity challenges may succeed if the patent examiner failed to consider prior art or if the patented product lacks the required novelty or non-obviousness.

Maintaining a patented product requires paying maintenance fees at specified intervals throughout the patent term. Utility patents require three maintenance fee payments at 3.5 years, 7.5 years, and 11.5 years after the patent grant date. Failure to pay these fees results in patent expiration and loss of exclusivity for the patented product. Once a patent expires, the patented product enters the public domain, allowing competitors to manufacture and sell identical or substantially similar products. Patent holders must carefully track renewal deadlines to preserve their exclusive rights to the patented product.