Billable hour vs. flat rates
How clients perceive hourly billing versus flat rates When I started practicing IP law back in the last millennium, hourly billing was the standard for…
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IP Networking: What Works for Introverts Like Me
IP Networking for an Introvert Have you ever attended a large networking event and felt like you lost a couple hours of life that you’ll…
How can we help each other?
Helping younger IP professionals and practitioners I’m starting a new series of posts dedicated to helping IP professionals. My hope is that these articles will…
How to Challenge Patents: Affordable Ways to Respond to Infringement Claims
What are affordable ways to challenge patents? As a patent attorney, it is my job not only to protect innovation, but also to facilitate fair…
Got Moat?
Why economic moat is good for startups It’s a competitive world out there. In any area of business that appears profitable, competition seems only to…
What is a generic mark?
What is a generic mark? A generic mark is a word understood by the public as the common term for a product or service. For…
PCT Bypass: Another way to enter US?
Is national stage the only way a PCT application can enter the US? No, an alternative option to enter the US from a PCT application…
Patent Drawings: What does the USPTO require?
What is the purpose of utility patent drawings? We all (should) know that the figures, i.e., patent drawings, do not define the claimed invention in…
What a USPTO patent examiner really thinks
Thinking like a patent examiner We are privileged to have a former USPTO patent examiner, Lyman Smith, as Of Counsel patent attorney to our firm.…
What are differences between patents and trademarks?
How are patents and trademarks different? The goal of this article is to provide a helpful summary of differences between patents and trademarks that will…
Can you trademark before launching product?
What comes first: filing trademark or launching product? The US trademark registration system is different from the rest of the world. With a few exceptions,…
What is a PCT patent search of prior art?
Will you get a prior art search in your PCT patent application? Yes, a prior art patent search is typically made in each PCT application.…
Are many goods or services in a US trademark application OK?
Can you have too many goods or services in a US trademark application? Most foreign countries do not require use of the trademark for registration.…
Can others file the same patent in a different country?
Same patent by others in different country? If an earlier applicant obtains a patent first in their own country, can others subsequently patent the same…
Live vs. Dead trademark: What are the differences?
Dead or live marks on USPTO trademark database Anyone can search trademarks on the USPTO’s Trademark Electronic Search System, or TESS for short. The status…
Ready to Slay Goliath?
Not sure where to start? Email US patent attorney Vic Lin at vlin@icaplaw.com.