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Intellectual Property (IP) Law Attorney

At the Trojan Law Offices (TLO) in Southern California, we assist, counsel, and represent clients seeking protection for ideas and inventions through patent applications, trademark applications, and licensing agreements. To discuss your intellectual property law needs, contact us.

Utility Patents

When most people think of patents, they are thinking of utility patents. Utility patents can protect the new and useful structure of a product. For example, a patent can cover the structure of a new safety feature for a medicine bottle cap. Or utility patents can protect the composition of a product such as a new drug. Utility patents can also protect a new method for using a product. Even if the product is well known, the new use for the old product may be patentable. New business methods and Internet procedures can also be patentable.

Design Patents

The second kind of patent is a design patent. A design patent protects only the ornamental appearance of a product. The policy behind design patents is that engineers should not only be concerned about the functionality of products, they should also be rewarded for making the final product appealing to the eye. For example, a new coffeemaker that incorporates art deco style elements would qualify for a design patent. Utility patents usually give broader protection than design patents, which only protect the appearance of the product.

Patent Searches

Many clients first want to know if we can obtain a patent for their product or idea. To decide if your invention is patentable, we must first conduct a patent search, which will show if something close to your invention has already been patented. The charge for a typical patent search is $1,000 to $2,000. Based upon the patent search, we will tell you if we can get a patent for you and we can tell you if your patent will be strong or weak. Based upon what we tell you, you can decide if you want to file for a patent. You are not required to do a patent search. But we do recommend it because we can write a better patent application if we have the information from the patent search first.

Trademarks

The cost to conduct a trademark availability search is $450, which includes a complete search of all federal and state registrations and pending applications, a search of common law rights, and an oral opinion concerning the availability of the proposed mark. The total cost for us to file a trademark application is $695 per mark per international class, which includes the government filing fee. If the trademark is a logo, we may hire a draftsman to prepare the logo to conform to Trademark Office drawing rules, which usually costs an additional $60 to $90.

Our IP attorneys take pride in providing quality intellectual property services at reasonable rates. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your U.S. or international patent, trademark, or copyright needs, including litigation pertaining to intellectual property infringement disputes. Allow us to explain how we can help you protect your ideas and inventions. Contact TLO to schedule a consultation.