ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 20

"If you file a patent application, the problem is you will give
away your secret sauce," he said. "You're supposed to list
your ingredients." With a trade-secret filing, "no one knows.
You introduce a new lubricant, and they can't reproduce it."
Nonetheless, on balance, Herbert believes, it's probably
better in most cases to file a patent. "It's rare for a trade
secret to stay a trade secret for a very long time," he said.
In the broader business sense, companies need to be
strategic about when and whether to file patents, which
requires striking a tricky balance, said Ryan Pool, partner
with Millen, White, Zelano & Branigan in Arlington,
Virginia. "Unfortunately, you don't always know which
products are going to be successful," he said. "There's a
hesitancy upfront. You can spend money on extensive patent
protection before you know what's going to make money.
With patent drafting, you can leave yourself flexibility so if a
product [succeeds], you can expand out from a single patent
to multiple patents to extend your protection."

The Patent Process

If you decide to move toward filing a patent, the process starts
with a provisional application that gets you patent-pending
status, Leiter said. "Typically, that would deter infringers,"

20

JULY 2019

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

"Remember what the goal of the
venture is. We're not just trying to
obtain patents for the sake of trying
to obtain patents."
- Ryan Pool, partner, Millen, White, Zelano
& Branigan
he said. "They'll see that you're serious about protecting your
intellectual property rights." Don't wait too long, he added.
"If you don't protect yourself, and somebody else beats you to
the patent and trademark office, you're screwed."
Lubricant manufacturers are much more likely to file utility
patents than design patents, although it's relevant to think about
a design patent if you have a distinctive package shape, Pool said.
"Lubricants are liquid; they have no structure," he said.
"But packaging is protectable. That gives you something
to assert against any overseas infringer. If your lubricant
is made in China and somebody tries to make a knockoff
and ship those [into the U.S.], most of the time they don't
bother changing the packaging."
continued on page 20


http://www.ILMA.ORG

ILMA Compoundings - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings - July 2019

LETTER FROM THE CEO
INSIDE ILMA
WHAT’S COMING UP
NEW MEMBERS
INDUSTRY RUNDOWN
In the Know
International Insight
Market Report
PROTECTING AND ENFORCING PRODUCT PATENTS
GOING GLOBAL
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD TO ILSAC GF-6
BUSINESS HUB
COUNSEL COMPOUND
WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE
IN NETWORK
Member Connections
PORTRAIT
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Cover1
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Cover2
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 1
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 2
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - LETTER FROM THE CEO
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - INSIDE ILMA
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 5
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 6
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 7
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - WHAT’S COMING UP
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 9
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 10
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - NEW MEMBERS
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - INDUSTRY RUNDOWN
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - In the Know
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - International Insight
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 15
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Market Report
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 17
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - PROTECTING AND ENFORCING PRODUCT PATENTS
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 19
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 20
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 21
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 22
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 23
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - GOING GLOBAL
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 25
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 26
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 27
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD TO ILSAC GF-6
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 29
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 30
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 31
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - BUSINESS HUB
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 33
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - COUNSEL COMPOUND
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 35
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 37
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Member Connections
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 39
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - PORTRAIT
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Cover3
ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - Cover4
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