Think of a patent lawyer as a specialist in the field of patent law. Just like doctors have specialist, so do lawyers. All patent counsel must be registered to practice law in at least one state and must also be registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). To do both they must have a law degree and a technical/scientific degree, so they are fairly rare. They also have to live by the code of ethics for lawyers as well as a separate code of ethics for those practicing before the USPTO.
Simply, a patent invention lawyer can practice patent law. This means representing companies and inventors before the USPTO to get inventions registered as patents. It also means preparing opinions about patentability, infringement, and patent validity. Without the background and resources available to a patent idea lawyer, it is difficult to come up with the answers you might need to operate your technology company safely and effectively. Everyone has opinions about patents and patent law, but none count more than patent lawyers (except judges of course).
Since patents are a kind of intellectual property, patent attorneys will often practice intellectual property law. This means they will be experienced in handling trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. They can also provide support for lawsuits and even handle patent litigation depending on the experience that the patent idea lawyer has.
Patent counsel will typically charge between $125 and $800 per hour for doing patent work, depending on the experience, technical background, location, and size of law firm where the patent attorney calls home. Sometimes they will charge flat fees for simpler projects like preparing and filing copyright and trademark applications. The best way to save money on patent legal work is to hire smaller firms in smaller cities. The quality of the final product can be as good as the big city, big firm can provide, without the overhead.
Patent lawyers are specialists in patent law, but they often handle other intellectual property work as well. While they can be expensive, they hold the rare skills, science-technical background, talents, and knowledge to solve some of the most difficult problems in business and law.
Mike was a patent examiner at the United States Patent Office. While there he examined over 300 patent applications. This experience has helped him to understand all the subtleties of getting a patent. You want that experience on your side.
Mike is extraordinarily creative in finding patentable features. Sometimes it requires thinking outside of the box to find the patentable features of an invention. He has an expertise at finding ways to get patents on new inventions that other patent professionals would not consider.
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