Clients of ecotechlaw® have access to a depth and breadth of experience unique to a firm of its size. Whether at top-tier international law firms, multi-national corporations, or premier academic institutions, our team members have gained the experience necessary to procure, defend, assert, license, manage, and assess intellectual property rights in today’s marketplace.
Patent Prosecution
We guide our clients in building patent portfolios that protect and serve their business objectives, both in the United States and internationally. Our prosecution services include:
- Filing and prosecuting patent applications before the USPTO
- International patent filings (PCT and non-PCT countries)
- Managing patent portfolios
- Counseling on protecting and developing company technologies
- Registering designs internationally (Hague Convention) and in the United States
- Prior art and freedom-to-operate searches
- Invalidity and infringement analyses
- Representing foreign law firms and clients on U.S. patent applications
Inter Partes Review and Post-Grant Review Proceedings
EcoTech Law Group leverages our combination of patent litigation and patent prosecution expertise to protect our clients’ assets and interests in Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) and Post-Grant Review (“PGR”) proceedings before the United State Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”).
IPR and PGR proceedings are generally used to challenge the validity of patents using litigation-like procedures. Parties often turn to these procedures, as they are more streamlined and cost-effective than conventional district court litigation. Because our attorneys have significant experience both litigating and prosecuting patents, we are well suited to using this hybrid procedure to our clients’ benefit. Further, our attorneys’ extensive technical expertise—having litigated and prosecuted patents on computer software, computer hardware, biotechnology, chemistry, medical devices, the mechanical arts, etc.—provides the background necessary to work with experts and to evaluate, prepare, explain, and argue complex technical issues before the PTAB.
We represent both patent holders and patent owners in these proceedings, working to secure positive outcomes for our clients, whether through settlement or a favorable final decision by the PTAB. We also represent clients already involved in district court litigations that seek to use IPRs or PGRs to stay their district court cases in favor of these more cost-effective and reliable proceedings before the PTAB. Finally, we work with clients to identify and evaluate patents in their respective industries that are candidates for petitioning to institute IPR and PGR proceedings against them.
Litigation
Our attorneys have extensive experience practicing before federal district courts, the International Trade Commission, and California state court. Our areas of litigation expertise include:
- Patents (including appearing before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board)
- Copyrights
- Trademarks
- Trade secrets
- Breach of contract
- General business matters
- Rule 11 investigations
- Representing third-party interests
We also provide local counsel services for those companies seeking to assert and/or defend their intellectual property rights in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
In addition to representing our clients in court, we also work with our clients to avoid litigation. We help our clients enforce their intellectual property rights or defend themselves against infringement allegations by drafting and responding to cease-and-desist letters, negotiating on their behalf, and drafting and evaluating settlement terms and agreements that serve their best interests.
Licensing
Our attorneys help technology companies protect their rights and maximize their revenue through effective licensing and assignment of their technologies. Our licensing services include:
- Preparing and evaluating licensing and technology transfer agreements
- Advising clients on their legal options in licensing matters
- Negotiating licensing terms
- Conducting due diligence of intellectual property assets
Other related services include preparing the types of agreements necessary to run a technology business in today’s marketplace, including :
- Software and Internet user agreements (e.g., terms of use, terms and conditions, end-user licensing agreements, etc.),
- Confidentiality agreements
- Unilateral and bilateral non-disclosure agreements
- Evaluation agreements
- Employee and contractor intellectual property ownership agreements
- Separation agreements
Trademarks
Our attorneys help clients build, manage and protect their brands using all aspects of the United States and international trademark systems. We provide services that include preparing and filing trademark applications, conducting trademark searches, counseling, enforcing trademarks, responding to allegations of trademark infringement, and maintaining international trademark portfolios. We also provide services and counseling in related areas, including trade dress, unfair competition, and FTC compliance.
Copyrights
Our attorneys help clients use the copyright system to their advantage. We apply for copyright registrations and manage copyright portfolios, we counsel clients on how to use the copyright system as one part of an overall IP-protection strategy, we help enforce copyrights and respond to allegations of copyright infringement, and we advise providers of online services on how to navigate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) so as to limit their liabilities as much as possible.
Experienced IP Support
At ecotechlaw, we assert our clients’ IP interests in a wide range of industries. To see how we can help you, contact us online or call 415-651-4234 and schedule a free initial consultation.
