Beyond Tobacco™ Patent Filing Advanced to Nonprovisional Status with Enhanced Scope of Protection
TAAT Global Alternatives Inc. (OTCQX: TOBAF) has announced the advancement of its patent filing for the Beyond Tobacco™ refinement technique to 'nonprovisional' status with the USPTO. This move is critical as the company aims to capture market share in the $814 billion global tobacco industry. The patent will enhance protection against competitors and potentially simplify manufacturing processes with third-party producers. CEO Setti Coscarella emphasized that this patent could solidify TAAT's competitive positioning in the tobacco sector, providing an appealing alternative to traditional cigarettes.
- Advancement of patent filing for Beyond Tobacco™ to 'nonprovisional' status, enhancing competitive position.
- Potential for easier manufacturing through third-party production post-patent grant.
- None.
LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT™ GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP2) (the “Company” or “TAAT™”) is pleased to announce that its patent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for the technique which causes Beyond Tobacco™ to taste and smell similarly to tobacco has been advanced to “nonprovisional” status, with the assignment of a patent examiner currently pending. In a press release dated September 4, 2020, the Company announced that it had filed for patent protection of this refinement technique, which characterizes both TAAT™ and its Beyond Tobacco™ base material. TAAT™ was launched at retail in Ohio in Q4 2020, and was made available to the majority of smokers aged 21+ in the United States through e-commerce in February 2021. Sentiments from users of TAAT™ have largely reflected satisfaction with the product’s experiential similarity to that of smoking a tobacco cigarette, despite no tobacco or nicotine content whatsoever in TAAT™.
As the Company continues its efforts to build market share in the USD
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With the Company’s patent filing having advanced to nonprovisional status, an examiner will be assigned to review the Company’s claims and potentially grant a United States patent based on their findings. A “provisional” patent application is initially filed to establish a U.S. filing date for an invention, and must be followed by a nonprovisional application within 12 months in order to proceed to formal review. After a patent is granted, the holder generally benefits from its protection for a period of 20 years from the provisional filing date.
The Company’s nonprovisional patent application filed this week has revised the initial claims to seek an enhanced scope of protection in the tobacco industry at the advice of its patent attorney Edmond DeFrank (announced in a press release dated January 15, 2021), who has written and prosecuted more than 1,000 patent and trademark applications for clients to include Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and NASA. These changes to the claims include details regarding the flavour elements of Beyond Tobacco™ as well as an expanded range of materials which can potentially be used for this purpose.
TAAT™ Chief Executive Officer Setti Coscarella commented, “The intellectual property protection afforded by a patent on the Beyond Tobacco™ base material of TAAT™ could improve our competitive position in the tobacco industry. Aside from the fact that it would be more difficult for competitors to imitate our product, it would be more practical for us to manufacture Beyond Tobacco™ using third-party producers instead of producing only in-house, which we currently do because the process is a trade secret. We are pleased to have advanced this process in line with standard timeframes for U.S. patent applications, and we look forward to undertaking the steps to finalize this patent which we believe can strengthen TAAT™ as a competitive product and a uniquely better choice for smokers aged 21+.”
Sources
1 - https://www.pmi.com/media-center/press-releases/press-release-details/?newsId=12091
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,
TAAT™ GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC.
“Setti Coscarella”
Setti Coscarella, CEO and Director
For further information, please contact:
TAAT™ Investor Relations
1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)
investor@taatusa.com
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About TAAT™ Global Alternatives Inc.
The Company has developed TAAT™, which is a tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternative to traditional cigarettes offered in "Original", "Smooth", and "Menthol" varieties. TAAT™'s base material is Beyond Tobacco™, a proprietary blend which undergoes a patent-pending refinement technique causing its scent and taste to resemble tobacco. Under executive leadership with "Big Tobacco" pedigree, TAAT™ was launched first in the United States in Q4 2020 as the Company seeks to position itself in the
For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com.
References
1 British American Tobacco - The Global Market
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FAQ
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