Houston, Texas Metropolitan area — Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights, serving clients throughout the United States
Toll Free: 1.800.429.6682

The first step in obtaining a patent is to conduct a thorough search of filed patents and patent applications to determine whether your invention is different from existing inventions. We will conduct the search at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office where we will search both domestic and foreign patent databases using the Examiner’s Automated Search Tool (EAST). We will then send you a detailed report of our findings, which includes copies of relevant patents and/or patent applications for your review. Once you receive our search report, you will be given a complimentary legal consultation with a Registered Patent Attorney who will discuss your search results and advise you concerning the next step in the process: preparing your patent application.

The next step is having a Registered Patent Attorney or Agent with technical expertise in the area of your invention prepare your patent application based on a full disclosure of the invention. The patent attorney will describe your invention in legal terms required by the Patent & Trademark Office with the goal of obtaining the broadest coverage for your invention. We will then send you a draft of the application for your review and signature. Once we receive your signed patent application, we will file it immediately with the Patent Office. At that point, you are “patent pending” and you can market your invention without jeopardizing your patent rights.  

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Drawings are an integral part of your Patent Application that graphically illustrate your invention and how it works. Drawings are required for most types of inventions and must satisfy Patent Office rules as to form. Our expert illustrators will prepare technical drawings of your invention in accordance with Patent Office requirements, which you will review for accuracy prior to filing.

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The third step involves communication between our attorneys and the Patent Examiner assigned to your application. In some cases, we may need to conduct a face-to-face interview with the Patent Examiner to address concerns the examiner may have about your application. You will be informed of all such developments at each stage of the patent application process.

If your application for patent is approved by the Patent Office, a Notice of Allowance will be issued and your application will be published in the Official Gazette. If the issue fee is paid within the time period set by the Patent Office and there are no third-party objections to the application, the application will issue as a Registered Patent.

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The first step in obtaining a trademark is to conduct a thorough search of all existing trademarks and pending trademark applications, including Federal, State and Common Law trademarks. Federal trademarks are registered with the Trademark Office in Arlington, Virginia. State filed marks are registered with a particular state and common law trademarks are marks that are in use, but are not registered with the states or federal government. A thorough search of these marks is necessary to avoid the possibility of infringement, or rejection of your mark by the Trademark Office. Once we have completed our search, we will send you a detailed search report explaining our findings and recommending the appropriate step to take next.

Once you have received our search report, you will be given a free legal consultation with one of our Trademark Attorneys who will answer your questions and advise you whether to take the next step: preparing and filing your trademark application.  

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Step two involves having an attorney prepare and file your Trademark Application with the Patent and Trademark Office in Arlington, Virginia. We will make sure that your trademark application satisfies the legal requirements of the Trademark Office, so that your application has the best chance of being allowed.

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Once your application is filed with the Trademark Office, a Trademark Examiner is assigned to review your application and to determine whether to allow the mark. During this process, we will correspond with the Trademark Office and address any concerns the Examiner has regarding your mark. This may require a face-to-face interview with the Trademark Examiner. Our office will inform you of all such developments during the application process. If your application is allowed, your trademark will be published in the Trademark Gazette and if no third-parties oppose your mark it will be registered with the Trademark Office. You will then be issued a Certificate of Registration. At that point, you can use the ® symbol to indicate that you have a registered trademark. Until then you may use the ™ symbol to warn others that you are claiming the mark as your property.   

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The only step involved in registering a copyright is to file a copyright application and a copy of your original creative work with the Library of Congress. Once your application is filed, it takes approximately six months for the Copyright Office to issue your registration.

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To profit from your patent, trademark, or copyright you should consider licensing the rights to make, use or sell your intellectual property. We can prepare licensing agreements that are written to suit your particular needs, while securing you the highest royalties.

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