Patents and trademarks obtained in the United States are only valid in the United States and cannot be transferred to other nations.

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You may need to authenticate patent or trademark paperwork in the following situations:

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• If you want to sell your products in other countries, you may either buy patents in those nations or file for foreign patent protection.

• Selling your patent or trademark to a firm based in another country

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Before you can do either of these things, you must show that you hold the patent or trademark in the United States and that you can authenticate the paperwork.

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Doing business in another country presents a number of issues, one of which is certifying company papers for use in another country.

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You must pick one of two methods, depending on the target country:

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• Apostille your documents

• Legalize your documents