Patents

For those who have invented something they think is new, seeking patent protection through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may be the logical next step. Peacock Law provides a full range of patent services to make your invention come to life and be valuable for as long as possible. We help clients decide whether they should apply for a patent at all—perhaps your invention is best kept secret or perhaps it is not patent eligible. We draft, file and handle the USPTO’s examination of your patent application to ensure that you are ultimately issued a patent with the broadest protection you are entitled to, which is an art best learned from experience.  We prepare patent assignments and license agreements to bring certainty to your business relationships.  We enforce your patent rights against infringers.

Domestic & International Patent Applications

Peacock Law is experienced in the patent application process for domestic and international patents. Individuals and corporations both turn to Peacock Law to gain protection for their most important ideas, whatever type of intellectual property application their ideas may need.  For example, provisional patent applications provide “patent pending” protection for up to a year while clients test the market and develop their ideas, putting off the decision as to whether they want to pursue a formal patent application. Design patents protect the ornamental design of a product (such as the iconic Coca-Cola bottle). Utility patents protect the functional aspects of a useful idea.  Plant patents protect a new asexually reproduced plant.

We navigate the entire process of determining patentability, patent prosecution, registration, and enforcement. We understand the regulations and requirements of foreign patent laws, and help preserve and protect our clients’ foreign rights.  Where patent rights are infringed, we also are there to enforce those rights, as well as defend against claims of infringement.

Patentability Searches

The USPTO demands that patent applications demonstrate that the item or service for which protection is being sought is useful, novel and not obvious. (The European law requirement of “industrial application” is roughly equivalent to the American requirement of usefulness.) Patentability searches help determine whether your ideas are new. Peacock Law has extensive experience in researching and evaluating prior art, frequently saving clients thousands of dollars that they might have wasted in patent applications that had no chance of being approved by the USPTO.

Trade Secret Protection

Patents require you to share your idea with the world, but some ideas are so good they should not be shared with the world.  Protecting your valuable information as a trade secret is challenging, but such trade secrets, if protected correctly, can easily be your most valuable intellectual property asset. Unlike other types of intellectual property, trade secrets are not registered with any government office and do not become public record. Rather, a strategy for keeping the information secret that will pass legal muster must be devised, which includes some combination of nondisclosure, confidentiality, and/or non-compete agreements with employees and business partners.  Peacock Law can help provide the legal protection to keep your valuable information a trade secret through whatever tumultuous business relationships you may face.