The right patent law attorney can help you avoid costly mistakes and protect your investment.
As an inventor or small business owner, protecting your idea and investment from those who might try to profit off of it requires the professional services of a patent law attorney. Before you dismiss the idea out of hand, let’s take a quick look at all the ways you can benefit from professional patent assistance:
Avoid Patent Infringement
This is a crucial first step for all inventors and small business owners. You need to make sure whatever you’re planning isn’t in some way already covered by an existing patent. This can be an incredibly complex and confusing process if you are not intimately familiar with the ins and outs of patent law.
What if you make a mistake? Well, the resulting penalties, lawsuits, and damage to your business and reputation could cost you everything. A patent attorney can help you investigate and identify any potential conflicts, as well as advise you on ways you can avoid them, or successfully defend against them.
Don’t try to rely on your industry knowledge, competitive understanding, or general good faith and gentlemen’s agreements; get the help you need to properly protect yourself.
Defend against Patent Fraud and Theft
You’ve probably heard the late night commercials regarding “register your patent!” and “inventors wanted!” What you don’t likely see is all of the fine print regarding ownership after the patent is successfully registered. In many cases, by passing the act of registration off to a third party, you’ve actually handed over ownership of the idea and any resulting gains. Don’t sign anything until you’ve had a lawyer review it!
Clarify Patent Ownership
This is especially applicable if your idea or patent was developed based on an iteration of someone else’s work, or in conjunction with multiple parties. In instances like these, it becomes difficult to distinguish clear lines of ownership, and any potential profit that may come along with it.
In the case of the former, you run a high risk of infringement, or potential lawsuits from people whose work you may have leveraged in your discovery. In the case of the latter, the actual value created by each individual contributing member can be difficult to determine without deliberate forethought and documentation.
Do you really want someone to drag you to court, or order a halt to all product sales and/or licensing of your patent? Probably not. And with the help of patent professionals, you significantly minimize your litigation risk.
Still Have Questions about How a Patent Law Attorney Can Help You?
The short descriptions above barely scratch the surface of things you need to consider when filing for a patent. Find out what you need to know by calling [nap_phone id=”LOCAL-REGULAR-NUMBER-2″] and asking to speak with an experienced patent law attorney here at the Wilbanks Law Firm, P.C.