Patent Attorney in Kansas City, Missouri
More than 600,000 patent applications are filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) each year. The first patent was issued in 1790 and today, more than 10 million patents have been granted, protecting the assets and investments of millions of people.
Intellectual property is just that – property. To protect yours for a period of time from others who could otherwise profit from it, you need to know what legal options you have. You also need to take steps right away to safeguard what is yours or risk losing that right forever.
For more than 15 years, I have helped inventors and businesses protect their intellectual property by developing strategic patent portfolios. Great original ideas are an opportunity for profit, but they are also at risk for theft. If you live or work in Kansas City, Missouri, or in Columbia, Springfield, or Rolla, call the Law Office of Julie Scott LLC today to schedule a consultation. Let’s get started protecting your ideas.
How Can I Protect My Intellectual Property?
There are three primary ways to protect your intellectual property. Which one is suited for your property depends on its nature, and the process for obtaining protection differs according to the protection you seek.
Trademarks protect a word, phrase, and/or design that distinguishes your product or service. Trademarks are registered by the USPTO.
Copyrights, registered by the Library of Congress, protect artistic and literary works such as books, songs, photos, and software codes.
Patents are granted by the USPTO. They protect technical inventions such as medications, hair products, and mechanical inventions and processes.
What Types of Patents Are There?
The USPTO grants utility, design, and plant patents.
Utility patents protect a process, manufacture method, machine, composition of something, or an original improvement on an existing idea. The patents may be granted for a new type of engine, computer software or hardware, an app, food product, or industrial machine.
Design patents may be granted for icons or emojis, a piece of furniture, or a wallpaper or fabric design.
Plant patents protect discoveries and asexual reproduction of new plants, or the invention of new plants.
Essentially, a utility patent protects the way something works or is used, while a design patent protects the way it looks. Some inventions require both types of protections if the way it looks and the way it works are original.
What Does the Patent Process Involve?
There are six major steps in the patent process:
Determine whether your idea is patentable by researching its originality via a patent search.
Determine which type of patent or patents you need, including provisional, nonprovisional, and/or international.
Create and submit the initial patent application with all corresponding fees and documentation.
Begin working with the patent examiner who may request additional documents or ask you to revise your application. If your application is denied twice, you can file an appeal.
If your patent is granted, pay the issuance fees and request copies of the documents that prove your holding of the patent.
Maintain the patent by timely payment of fees.
The creation of an original idea or invention is thrilling. However, as challenges to your application or violations of your patent’s use arise, you might feel overwhelmed. In these situations, an experienced patent attorney will be your best advocate. If you seek to protect your ideas and the future of your ideas, reach out to legal guidance as soon as you can. The process required to protect your patents can be laborious, but it’s absolutely necessary.
How Can a Patent Attorney Help?
A patent attorney can assist you every step of the way, from the patent search and determining the type of patent applicable to your idea or invention, through drafting the application and addressing examiner requests, to appealing a patent denial. Regardless of what you wish to patent, it must be comprehensible to the examiner and to potential investors, partners, and licensees. If a legal dispute arises about your idea or patent, a patent attorney can prepare opinions and present a compelling case to a judge and jury.
A patent attorney can also negotiate and draft legal agreements for licensure, use, and sale of your patented idea or invention. Your attorney will help you craft and manage a patent portfolio, aligning your patent’s business strategy with strategies for related products created through use of your patent.
Patent Law Attorney in Kansas City, Missouri
I have been helping clients in Kansas City, Missouri, Columbia, Springfield, Rolla and elsewhere acquire patents for more than 15 years. At the Law Office of Julie Scott LLC, I put my experience as a research scientist, in-house counsel for the world’s largest privately held pharmaceutical company, and private patent attorney to work every single day. My experience can work for you. All you need to do is reach out to schedule a consultation.