A patent is an intellectual property right conferred by a jurisdictional authority, such as a government or intergovernmental organization. A patent functions essentially as an agreement between an inventor and the jurisdictional authority whereby the jurisdictional authority grants the inventor the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing his invention in the relevant jurisdiction for a limited time in exchange for public disclosing the invention when the patent is granted.
The most common type of patent is a utility patent, which is directed towards new and useful processes, machines, articles of manufacture, or compositions of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Also available are design patents directed towards an original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture and plant patents directed towards the discovery and asexual reproduction of any distinct and new variety of plant.
The patent practice at the Keys Law Firm, PLLC, includes:
- Client consultations on invention development and the patent process
- Patentability searches and opinions
- Patent infringement opinions
- Patent application preparation, filing and prosecution
- Due diligence in patent enforcement
- Patent infringement litigation on behalf of a patentee
- Patent infringement litigation on behalf of an accused infringer, including declaratory judgment actions
- Alternative dispute resolution in patent infringement matters
- Licensing negotiations
Patent resource links:
https://www.uspto.gov/patents
https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/