Francine Delgado, founder of the HairCare Products Company, has developed HairCarePlus, which is a shampoo product containing healthy nutrients that are absorbed through the scalp when the product is used. She also believes that preliminary tests of HairCarePlus show that product residues are environmentally safe.
A. Francine was wondering whether she might be able to patent the HairCarePlus product. What are the characteristics of patents and what type of patent, if any, might Francine seek?
B. What other ways, other than through patents, might Francine explore to try to protect the HairCarePlus product?