What can Pokemon Go teach us about patent registration in Australia?

Valor, Mystic or Instinct? If this question makes sense, you're one of the millions of people out catching Pokemon and battling to control gyms for your team. If it all sounds like nonsense, you've still probably run into someone playing Pokemon Go – most likely, literally.

One of the most crucial decisions players make in the game is which team they join – Valor, Mystic or Instinct – upon reaching level five. This is not a choice to be made lightly, as it will have significant effects on your experience in the long-term – much like the decision about which type of patent application to file when protecting your creation under Australian intellectual property law.

The three Pokemon Go teams can help illustrate the differences between the types of patent application. Which team and application suits your intellectual property needs?

Standard patent application

Team Valor believes in the natural strength of their Pokemon and the power that comes from making sure each is fully prepared to do battle. Creators who have put their inventions through the same level of rigorous testing are ready for a standard patent application.

The bar for a standard patent is high, and inventors must be sure they fulfil all requirements before filing this type of application. In particular, inventions must meet an inventive standard – new, unique and useful.

Innovation patent application

Many Pokemon grow stronger as they evolve into more developed forms – a characteristic that Team Mystic prizes. This is true of many inventions as well. Inventors who want to preserve intellectual property protection while giving themselves room for further improvements can choose to file an innovation patent application.

This type of patent is ideal for inventions that improve upon existing technology – and will likely be improved upon as well – because it features an innovative requirement instead of an inventive one. An innovative difference is one that significantly improves the way the invention works.

Provisional patent application

In Pokemon Go, players must walk in order to hatch Pokemon from eggs – this is an area of interest for Team Instinct. Before those eggs have hatched, they must be protected – just like an invention in its early stages. A provisional patent application is a great way to do this.

Filing this application can establish the priority date for an invention without the full expense of other types of patent protection. This helps inventors get a jump on competitors while they are still fully developing their creations.

For more information about registering a patent, contact Alder IP today.