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Question about the Expiration of the wizard of the coast patent

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larienna
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According to the patents found on google:

https://www.google.com/patents/US5662332?pg=PA17&dq=magic+the+gathering&...

https://www.google.com/patents/USRE37957?pg=PA18&dq=magic+the+gathering&...

They have been issued in 1994. A patent in US is supposed to last 20 years. So in theory, in june 2014, the WOTC Should expire right?

Corsaire
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It is has a filing date of

It is has a filing date of October 17, 1995. Plus twenty years is Oct 17, 2015.

Zodiak Team
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But from what I read, as of

But from what I read, as of this past June they had to begin the refiling process for the next 20 years.

larienna
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According to a BGG user, it

According to a BGG user, it would be 14 years for design pattent

Quote:
Twenty years is for a utility patent (patenting a useful process). A game would fall under a design patent which is only 14 years.

"For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, utility and plant patents are granted for a term which begins with the date of the grant and usually ends 20 years from the date you first applied for the patent subject to the payment of appropriate maintenance fees for a utility patent. There are no maintenance fees for plant patents . Design patents last 14 years from the date you are granted the patent. No maintenance fees are required for design patents.

Which would implied that the patent is alreayd expired.

Corsaire
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That one is easy to correct;

That one is easy to correct; though an amusing philosophical perspective. In the realm of utility patents, "entertainment" is considered a useful thing. Also, the first character of a design patent is a D. Patent 5,662,332 is a utility patent.

pelle
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Zodiak Team wrote:But from

Zodiak Team wrote:
But from what I read, as of this past June they had to begin the refiling process for the next 20 years.

Doesn't it work more like you get 10 years and then can refile to get another 10 years, but there is no way to ever get more than 20?

Corsaire
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pelle wrote:Zodiak Team

pelle wrote:
Zodiak Team wrote:
But from what I read, as of this past June they had to begin the refiling process for the next 20 years.

Doesn't it work more like you get 10 years and then can refile to get another 10 years, but there is no way to ever get more than 20?

Sort of. It's for twenty years unless you fail to pay maintenance fees at years 3.5 and 7.5 and 11.5.

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