Choosing a Patent Attorney: How to Protect Your Invention

A patent is basically a proposed contract to the government to claim a monopoly on a particular invention. It is used to prevent other parties from selling, manufacturing, offering for sale, or using your invention without your permission. If you are serious about protecting the intellectual property of your invention, you will need the help of a patent attorney before submitting your application. Although you can apply directly to the Patent Office, you will run into problems if you do not fully understand the complex laws and regulations regarding this type of intellectual property. To create an acceptable patent document, you need a reliable attorney. Here are some steps to choosing a good patent attorney:

1. Find a patent attorney who is also an engineer

The lawyer’s legal skills help him determine the appropriate regulation, while his engineering skills help him understand the circumstances well and correctly draft an application in the language of patents. Choose a lawyer with engineering experience related to his field of invention. In general, there are four types of engineering: mechanical, chemical, electrical, and computer science.

2. Find out about the lawyer’s background

If possible, ask about their engineering background, the number of patents they have written, what types of inventions they handled, and how long they have been practicing patent protection.

3. Choose a lawyer with reasonable fees

Since cost will be one of your considerations, ask the attorney for their cost estimate. To do this, you need to do a search for similar inventions first. Also, discuss how payment will be arranged.

4. Trust your intuition when choosing the lawyer

By patenting your invention, you will have a professional relationship with the lawyer that will last around 2-3 years. Don’t settle for just one candidate. Interview several candidates to make the best choice. Do not select your candidate from a vendor. It is always best to connect with the attorney directly without the involvement of other intermediate parties.

5. Get a professional, independent patent agent

When inspecting your invention, you and the attorney will usually need a patent agent. Patent agents have the competence to thoroughly examine your invention. They also have a standard set by the Patent Office, which is known as the patent bar. Sometimes, instead of finding a patent agent on their own, the attorney has a cooperative agreement with a certain agent. Make sure the patent agent used is from an independent professional agency rather than an in-house inspector. The more independent each of the parties involved in patenting your invention is, the less conflict of interest there will be during the process.