As part of our Patents practice, we provide patent protection services.

Patents can be a central component of an intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Once issued, a patent can exclude another from engaging in certain activities that would compete with the patent holder. Therefore, seeking to protect an invention through patent registration, clients can develop and maintain a competitive position in the marketplace. We provide patent protection & counseling at all stages of patent prosecution.

Patent Protection & Counseling: Patent Prosecution

Effective patent protection & counseling can allow the patent holder to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention. Protection of patent rights can also extend internationally. We offer patent counseling for both domestic and international protection and work with our foreign associates to register worldwide rights. Our patent prosecution practice covers all types of patents (domestic as well as international):

  • Provisional – Provisional patent applications can be filed for strategic reasons. For example, prior to business negotiations as either leverage or protection. A provisional patent also gives you time to consider whether to file an application for registration.

  • Non-provisional Utility – Nonprovisional applications are filed for registration of a patent.

  • Design Patents – Designs protect the appearance as well as the aesthetic features of a product.

  • Plant Patent – Plant patents cover living organism plants.

  • Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Patent

We recognize that patent registration can get costly depending on the scope as well as number of claims desired. In addition, the amount of Office Actions taken by the patent examiner can increase patent prosecution expense. We work with clients to minimize unnecessary costs and obtain the broadest patent protection possible while keeping within business budgets.

See our Patent Registration Process for an overview of the patent process from a patentability search through registration of a patent.  See also our Patent Cost and Pricing Options for a discussion of how much a patent costs and how we bill for our services. Our post Have an Invention — What are the Next Steps to Get a Patent? discusses key decisions inventors must make during the patenting process.

Other Forms of Patent Protection

Protection can be achieved through numerous means. For example, protection can be in the form of:

  • Patentability and Infringement Opinions

  • Licensing/Cross-Licensing

  • Patent Portfolio Management

  • IP Diligence Reviews

  • Prior Art and Clearance Searches

  • Competitive Intelligence Reviews

  • Evaluation of Ownership and Assignment Issues

  • In-house Patent Policy Reviews

Other Related Patent Services

Our patent lawyers have comprehensive experience in intellectual property as well as in business law. This gives us unique experience to handle a variety of patent related matters and issues including:

  • Patent Disputes

  • Patent Litigation

  • Enforcement of Patent and IP Rights

  • Business Planning for Patent Strategies

  • Inter Partes Reviews

  • Patent Reexamination

  • Post Grant Review

  • Patent Agreements and Indemnification

Enforcing Patent Portfolios and Monetizing Patents

Read more about our litigation services at our intellectual property litigation overview page and our business litigation overview page, including Patent Infringement Litigation.

Additional Insights Regarding Patent Protection

For more information on patent protection, see our Legal Insights and Industry Solutions pages.