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 urning
an invention into an asset takes more than
bright ideas. It requires protecting that
invention with commercially-relevant patent cliams of the broadest coverage possible.
A significant aspect of Wong
Cabello’s practice involves the procurement of patents through the
drafting and prosecution of patent applications. As part of this
practice, our practitioners represent clients in a wide range of
industries and technology areas. We have extensive experience in
counseling clients in the protection of new products and processes,
the creation of barriers-to-
entry through the use of patents,
and more generally to the development of intellectual assets.
We
even recognize that sometimes the answer for a particular client or
technology is not a patent,
but
to protect inventions by trade secret, contract, or
other means, issues on which we counsel clients as well.
We bring to our patent procurement
practice an understanding of what it takes to protect an invention
in the abstract manner the law permits. Contrary to popular belief,
an invention in
the eyes of the law is not the device the
inventor built, or the process the inventor implemented. Instead,
protected inventions are defined by “claims”-words used to define
the parameters of
the invention. This process of abstraction of
an invention to words is challenging, but crucial to
the
ultimate worth of a patent. As we draft, file, and prosecute
hundreds of patent applications annually, we well understand this
skill of abstraction, and how to define inventions in a manner
to distinguish from
earlier ideas.
Unlike many firms our size, our
patent procurement practitioners do not focus solely on patent
procurement. We also have experience in the enforcements of patents,
which brings to our procurement practice a practical understanding
of how to obtain patents best suited for enforcement. We recognize
that one unnecessary word in the patent claims, or one misstep
before the
patent office, can place an otherwise commercially valuable
idea at risk.
Almost all patent attorneys will
have schooling in a technical field. However, at Wong Cabello,
we pride ourselves in also bringing significant technical
work experience to our patent prosecution work. Most
of us have worked for years as engineers or scientists,
and thus have a heightened ability to quickly understand
the technical aspect of an invention and the technology
area in which it resides. Our cumulative technical work
experience also provides a good perspective into the
needs of inventors and the companies for which they
work.
Finally, we understand that patent
procurement is a skill premised on efficiency and control of
client costs. To control costs, we draw upon the expertise of
patent agents and associates, and have affiliations with counsel in
foreign jurisdictions specializing in the laws of their respective
countries when international patenting is
warranted.
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