Patent

USA Patent Attorneys  - Washington DC

Patents protect technology improvements

Whether you’re an established company or an individual entrepreneur, protecting your patentable inventions and proprietary technology should be a top priority.  Without patent protection, technology improvments may be compromised resulting in lost profits and opportunities.

Our law firm in Washington, DC has patent attorneys that can handle the various matters that can arise in development and ownership of a patent portfolio, including patent application preparation, patent litigtion and patent licensing .  Let a qualified patent attorney assist you in the patent prosecution process and guide you in exploiting your patent and intellectual property rights.

Subject matter and methods that are eligible for patent protection include:

• Methods or Processes: new methods of doing something may be patented, for example:, a method of forming circuit patterns on semiconductor wafers, a method of making ceramic parts, and a method of diagnosing or treating diseases.

• Machines and Mechanical Devices: engines, machinery, instruments, etc.

• Manufactured items: circuits, tools, structures, etc.

• Chemical and Biological Compositions: pharmaceuticals, chemical compounds, substantially purified natural substances, DNA sequences, and biological materials are all amenable to patent protection.

• Living organisms: genetically altered plants and animals.

• Computer programs: either alone or in conjunction with other equipment or a process.

• Business methods: new methods of doing business, especially those implemented by computers or the internet. Patents covering auction models, one-click internet shopping checkout, mutual fund financial analysis, DVD rental, and web advertising patents have been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

In order to be eligible for a patent, an invention must be new, useful, non-obvious, and fit into a category of patentable subject matter listed above.  Vague concepts and ideas, laws of nature such as gravity and magnetism, mathematical algorithms, purely mental processes, or statements of intended results without teaching how to apply the ideas or accomplish the results are not patentable.

In certain cases, patent protection may be warranted in strategically located countries throughout the world. In addition to our experience in filing patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the McNeely Bodendorf law firm also has experience in international patent prosecution, including filing patents under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). We also work with a network of foreign associate firms registered to practice in foreign countries to obtain national patents  and to bring enforcement actions in their respective countries.