Working with a Patent Attorney or Patent Lawyer?
Protecting your intellectual property can seem daunting. Patent attorneys or Patent Lawyers are trained professionals, experienced at cutting through the red tape and protecting your interests so that you can focus on your business.
Who are Patent Attorneys?
A Patent attorney is not just lawyer. They are scientists, engineers and mathematicians, often with Masters Degrees or PhDs. When you work with a patent attorney, you are working with someone who can quickly understand your invention and who has the technical background to be able to recognise its advantages.
But a patent lawyer is more than a scientist. Fellows of the UK Chartered Institute (Chartered Patent Attorneys) and Members of the Institute of Professional Representatives (European Patent Attorneys) have at least three years of on-the-job training behind them, have met with rigorous qualification standards, and are backed by a compulsory scheme of Continuing Professional Development.
Finally, through experience working with individual inventors and multinational corporations, patent attorneys know the commercial realities of using your intellectual property to gain an advantage over your competitors.
This unique combination of a technical background, specialist legal training, and business experience can provide the best choice to help you protect your inventions and designs.
What we do
London IP has patent attorneys specialising in everything from microbiology to engineering so we can find the right advisor for you. Your advisor can explain the protection options of patents and designs, setting out the potential costs and advantages in plain English, to help you make the right business decisions moving forward.
1. Design registration
Perhaps you want to protect the appearance of a new product with a registered design. Your advisor can obtain formal drawings for you and prepare the legal paperwork for registration in the UK and Europe. If your business stretches further afield, we can draw on our established international contacts to get you the best protection wherever you might need it.
2. Patent protection
Maybe you have a great invention, but want a prior art search done to see if it is new and inventive before investing in a patent application. Your advisor can arrange that through our specialist searchers, filter the results for you and give you an expert opinion on your chances of obtaining a granted patent.
A patent application is a legal and technical document that must be prepared with care and skill. It could be examined at Patent Offices around the world, each with different standards to meet, and will hopefully be a valuable commercial asset for the next 20 years. Your advisor will use all their training and experience to write this important document for you, bringing out the best in your invention and giving you the best chance to realise a profit on your hard work.
Formal examination of your patent application by Patent Offices around the world can be a lengthy procedure, often taking several years. Your advisor will stand by you throughout the process, negotiating the best protection for you, keeping track of your obligations to different Patent Offices, and continuing to advise you as your business needs change.
Once you have a granted patent, the role of the patent attorney continues to ensure it remains in force, to help you negotiate licensing deals, and to help you enforce your patent against infringers, making your patent work for you.
3. Patent defence
Being on the receiving end of a patent infringement suit is a frightening prospect. However, with skilful handling, a dispute can be settled without resorting to costly and stressful litigation. An attorney can explain the facts behind threatening letters, help you in negotiations, mount a defence or take to the offensive as required.
First your advisor can assess whether you are actually infringing the patent. If you do infringe, your advisor can help negotiate a licence or suggest ways of designing round the patent to keep your business going.
Your advisor can also judge whether the patent is as secure as the patent holder would like. If a patent looks weak, they can seek to have the patent revoked or obtain an invalidity opinion from the Patent Office.
What if it goes wrong?
London IP is regulated by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg). This means that all our patent attorneys are bound by strict codes of professional conduct, are fully trained and qualified, and meet yearly continuing training standards.
In the unlikely event that something goes wrong, your work is protected by professional indemnity insurance. Also, if you are unhappy with our services or we have not dealt with your complaints to your satisfaction, you can register a formal complaint with IPReg which could be referred to the Legal Ombudsman.
For details of the London IP patent attorneys please click here, or contact us directly here.
Frequently Asked Questions
A patent attorney can help you protect your IP by:
– Determining if your invention is patentable
– Preparing and filing a patent application
– Prosecuting your patent application
– Enforcing your patent rights if someone tries using your IP without permission.
There are several benefits to hiring a patent attorney to protect your invention, IP or design. Patent attorneys should possess both the legal knowledge and experience to navigate you through any patent application process. Seeking professional advice will help you avoid costly mistakes that could jeopardise your patent rights in the future.
The cost of hiring a patent attorney will vary depending on how complex your intellectual property is. That being said, the cost of hiring a patent attorney in the short term, can outweigh the costs of seeking legal protection for your intellectual property once a problem arises.
While it may not be mandatory, having a patent attorney is highly recommended. The process involves legal hurdles and technical considerations. An attorney can ensure your application is comprehensive and protects your invention effectively.
