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Protecting Your Ideas Through Patents

The author John Steinbeck said, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” Of course, the more ideas you generate, the more you need to protect them.

Patents provide businesses, entrepreneurs and inventors with a means to protect a new product, process, device, design, or formula. At Hovey Williams, we help our clients obtain and maintain all types of patents. We also work closely with our clients to determine patent validity, while avoiding threats of infringement, to ensure your rights are fully protected. Without patent protection, your invention is at risk of being copied — or even patented — by a competitor.

Intellectual property law is all we do. From our office in Greater Kansas City, Hovey Williams LLP represents clients locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in all aspects of intellectual property law, including disputes.

 

Can Your Idea Be Patented?

There are three main criteria for patentability: Is it new? Is it nonobvious? Is it useful? Determining if a creation or idea fits these criteria is a complex process involving careful research and review. It also requires a thorough legal understanding of terms of art such as what it means for something to be “nonobvious.”

At Hovey Williams, our lawyers provide comprehensive counsel regarding protecting your invention and determining whether it meets these criteria. We can also analyze whether your invention might infringe on another’s invention that has already been patented.

 

Personalized Service From Start To Finish

Once we verify your idea is patentable, we will prepare and file your initial application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). We also handle international patent filings through our vast network of foreign associates across the globe.

Once filed, a patent examiner will review your application and either approve or deny it. In most cases, the examiner’s response will include an “office action” explaining why an application has been denied. Our attorneys will work with you to respond to these office actions to move your patent application to an allowance.

 

We Serve A Wide Range Of Industries

Over the past eight-plus decades, our firm has represented nearly every industry imaginable, including:

  • Agriculture and agribusiness products
  • Alternative energy
  • Animal health
  • Aviation
  • Biotechnology
  • Biomechanics
  • Biomedical devices
  • Chemical engineering
  • Consumer products
  • Electrical engineering
  • Food science
  • Hydrocarbon processing
  • Industrial safety
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Nanomaterials
  • Optics
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Polymer chemistry
  • Printing
  • Software

Protect Your Ideas Before It’s Too Late

We invite you to contact us with questions and concerns regarding protecting your ideas. Call 913-647-9050 or use our online contact form to schedule a meeting.