Federico Maggioli is an Italian citizen living in Singapore. He came up with a new idea for a golf cart, which would glide above water hazards and sand traps. Here is a computer-generated image of the cart.

Federico, however, lacks the engineering expertise to build the cart. He contacts Neil Hammerback, who owns a small manufacturing plant in the U.S. and asks him to manufacture the cart based on his design. Neil completes a prototype for Federico. In the meantime, Federico contacts an IP lawyer to file a patent application for the cart. Federico would like to patent the cart in Singapore, the U.S., Germany, India, and Japan. The IP lawyer starts working on the patent applications but tells Federico she will contact him next month to finalize the filing.

A friend of Neil's, Marco, saw the design and prototype of the cart in the U.S. and decides to produce a similar golf cart. Marco designs a second cart using Federico's design but his cart can also glide over deeper water (see picture below). Marco files a patent application in the U.S. and the U.K.

Marco's applications are filed before Federico's applications.

Federico discovers what Marco did, and seeks your assistance. Evaluate and advise Federico about his ability to obtain a patent for his cart and the problems that Marco's applications can create for him for the protection of his invention.