Barriers to Imitation ◾ 111
packaging. This term can be powerful, as many executives do not under-
stand the meaning of it. In many cases, some executives think that patent
pending has the same meaning as the device being patented. This can cre-
ate a barrier to imitation, as many executives would refrain from imitation
when products or their packaging is marked patent pending. Patent pend-
ing or the like simply means that some type of patent application has been
filed (i.e., provisional patent application, nonprovisional paten ...