Why Do Some Firms Choose Not to File for a Patent

question 32

Multiple Choice

Why do some firms choose not to file for a patent and instead try to keep the results of their research a trade secret?

• A)because firms must disclose information about the product or process being patented in a patent application
• B)because trade secrets are never divulged
• C)because a patent only gives the inventor exclusive rights to a product or process for 5 years
• D)because trade secrets provide the same exclusive legal rights to a product as a patent does

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Definitions:

Allyl Tosylate

An organic compound where an allyl group is bonded to a tosylate group, used typically as an intermediate in organic synthesis for nucleophilic substitution reactions.

Oct-1-ene

A linear alkene with the double bond starting from the first carbon atom.

Resonance Structures

Different ways of drawing the same molecule that depict the possible locations of pi electrons or nonbonded electrons within the molecule.

Regiochemistry

This term relates to the orientation of the addition or substitution of a chemical bond in a molecule, determining the structure of the resulting product.