Once you've patented something, you need to protect your patent by alerting others to the fact that this is a protected product. This usually consists of a notice on the product consisting of the word 'Patent,' followed by the patent number. Failure to provide this marking could remove your protection from patent infringement. Sometimes you may see the words 'Patent pending' or 'Patent applied for' on certain products. Such markings offer no specific protection, but merely announce that a patent has been applied for. False use of these phrases when no application has been made is prohibited by law.
