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How a Vet-Owned AI Company Safeguarded Its IP

By John Scott and Jon Brewton and Chris Rohrbach and Eric Costantini
June 01, 2025

Military-owned businesses often possess unique technological advantages derived from years of research, development, and practical application. These innovations, ranging from advanced materials to sophisticated software, can be valuable assets in the commercial marketplace. Understandably, effectively protecting these assets is critical to success in any business. But what steps should an entrepreneur take to protect their idea, and how does the patent process work?
One veteran-owned company’s journey — combined with a patent attorney’s experience preparing and filing patent applications — provides valuable insight into what veterans should do to safeguard their intellectual property.

What Are Patents and How Do They Work?


Patents protect inventions. Each patent generally represents a bargained-for-exchange in which one or more inventors publicly disclose an invention to receive an enforceable right to exclude others from practicing the invention for a limited time. For example, non-inventors may be excluded from manufacturing, using, importing, selling, or offering to sell an invention protected by a patent. As part of that exchange, the invention enters the public domain and becomes available for anyone to use once the patent expires, which is generally 20 years from the date of filing the corresponding application.

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