Protecting Your Innovations
Protect your ideas and inventions
In general, utility patents protect “inventions” — novel devices or methods that achieve a tangible or transformative result — by allowing the owner to exclude others from “practicing” the invention. By excluding others, the owner (or the owner’s licensee) can retain its competitive advantage. Examples of patented inventions include the paperclip, the ballpoint pen, the vacuum cleaner, the game of Monopoly®, and the systems and methods that enable text messaging. Design patents protect the ornamental design of an item and can be used for jewelry design, clothing design, or the overall look and shape of various products. Utility patents last for 20 years, but only if maintenance fees are paid regularly. Good patent research and analysis are essential to avoid wasting resources on unprotectable or unnecessary features.
Planning
The key to building a valuable patent portfolio without wasting resources is planning. A smart IP plan protects what is valuable to your business, not just your current iteration (probably too limited) and not everything capable of being protected (probably too expansive). If your intellectual property advisors are not asking about your business – past, present, and future – then you are not getting solutions tailored to your needs.
We start with identifying the protection you need for your business. Once we have helped you quantify the value of that protection, we’ll come up with a budget that makes sense for you. Then we look at how we can put your protection in place within your budget, using patents, trademarks, copyrights, and contracts. Because we believe that smart IP strategies should be focused on the needs of your business, not the needs of your law firm.
Obtaining
We help clients investigate, obtain and enforce patents spanning industries from software and tech to manufacturing, consumer products, telecommunications, energy, business methods, and biotech. Let us show you how much value we can add to your business by building a strategic patent portfolio designed with your business plan in mind.
Enforcing
Strong and strategic patents, trademarks and copyrights provide passive protection by deterring would-be infringers. But with enough money at stake, your competitors will be motivated and you will need to enforce your IP. We have years of experience drafting Cease & Desist letters that deliver results without litigation. And where litigation is needed, we’ve got your back, along with our network of local counsel across the U.S. and abroad. At all stages, you’ll know we are keeping your goals in mind, looking to maximize your net return.
