Gianna first marketed her automatic backscratcher to the public 30 months ago and has been tinkering with its design ever since. Deciding that the original design was as good as it was going to get, she took it to a patent lawyer last week. He told her that, under the Patent Act, she will not be able to patent it because she has left it too late. He is right.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Under the U.S. Patent Act, an inventor must file a patent application within one year of publicly disclosing or offering the invention for sale. Since Gianna marketed her invention 30 months ago, she has exceeded this time frame, making her invention ineligible for a patent.

Gianna First Marketed Her Automatic Backscratcher to the Public 30