In addition to patent preparation, prosecution, and procurement, The Harris Firm provides its clients with advice on a wide range of patent topics. Using our expertise, we counsel and recommend the appropriate course of action in a variety of situations. Where appropriate, we provide written opinions that contain a detailed summary of our investigation and analysis.
Areas of counseling include:
- Patentability Evaluations – We obtain patentability searches on new inventions and advise clients whether patent protection can be obtained and what the scope of that protection might be.
- Evaluation of Competitor’s Patents – Patents held by competitors often raise concerns with our clients about patent infringement liability. We review such patents as well as U.S. Patent and Trademark files to determine whether there is a risk of infringement and whether the patents are valid. Where we conclude that there may be an infringement problem, we provide our clients with guidance on how to avoid it.
- Technology Acquisition – Our clients often decide to acquire existing technology rather than developing it internally. We evaluate the patents covering such technology and advise our clients what scope of protection they may receive and whether it would cover what they intend to commercialize. We can also evaluate any litigation involving the patents, thus giving our clients information to determine whether the acquisition is a prudent investment.
- Inventorship/Ownership Investigations – In view of the increased value of patents in commerce, disputes can arise regarding inventorship and ownership. We conduct investigations and provide guidance to our clients on how to resolve these disputes.
- Corrective Action for Existing Patents – After a patent is obtained, information may become available which calls into the question the validity of that patent or the adequacy of the protection it provides. We can investigate whether a concern truly exists, and, if there is a problem, we provide guidance on appropriate corrective action through reissue or reexamination.