Chicago Patent Attorneys & Lawyers
How it Works
Jonathan Torchman
Kevin Keener
Martin Lefevour
Justin Lesko
Caleb St.-Jean
Adam Urbanczyk
.jpg)
Mark Wiemelt
Jonathan Grossman
Jonathan Pasky
Eric Onyango
Chicago Patent Lawyers
Why Hire a Patent Attorney?
Patent law is complex. It takes a lot of research and gathering of supporting documents before application forms can be filled in and submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Since lawyers have resources not available to the public, inventors and scientists should hire a specialist in patent law to take care of the patent application process for them.
What Is an Attorney?An attorney is a licensed professional who advises clients on legal matters. Other names in the United States by which these professionals are known include "lawyer," "counsel," and "counselor." In some countries, the term "notary public" describes someone who practices law. This is not the case in the U.S. Here, a lawyer might also be a notary, but a notary is a lawyer. Be certain that anyone you consider hiring in Chicago has a license to practice law in Illinois.
What Is a Patent?A patent for an invention or horticultural discovery grants property rights to the inventor or scientist. The USPTO does not grant the applicant "the right to make, use, offer for sale, or sell" the invention or plant in the United States. Instead, it excludes others from doing so. The patent protects the applicant for a specified number of years.
There are three types of patents granted in the United States. A patent attorney will know which one you need.
- Utility Patent. This type of patent is granted to an inventor or someone who "discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof."
- Plant Patent. This type of patent is granted to a person who "discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant."
- Design Patent. This type of patent is granted to an inventor of "a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture."
Among the services offered by patent lawyers are:
- Determining whether an invention is patentable — Is it useful, novel, or innovative?
- Performing patent research for patents awarded in the U.S. and other countries — Are there any potential cases of patent infringement?
- Compiling required data and papers
- Completing all application documents
- Filing patent applications and paying associated fees
How to Find the Best Patent Attorney in Chicago
Of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., Illinois has the fourth-highest number of patent attorneys. If you know someone in Chicago who has been granted a patent, ask them for a referral. You can also browse UpCounsel for the top patent attorneys in Chicago. The following steps will help you narrow down your choices.
Read the Attorney Profiles
- What universities did the lawyer attend?
- What law school did the attorney attend?
- How long has the attorney been practicing law?
- In what areas of business law does the attorney specialize?
- How many clients applying for a patent has the attorney helped?
Meet With the Attorney(s)
When meeting with a patent attorney for the first time, consider the following:
- Where is the office located?
- What are the attorney's office hours?
- How easy is it to get an appointment?
- Is the office professional-looking?
- Does the attorney understand what help you need?
- Did the attorney pay attention to what you were saying?
- Has the attorney applied for their own patent?
- How much of what you need will the attorney ask a paralegal to do?
- How many attorneys work in the office?
- How much time does the attorney have for assisting you?
Do Your Homework
After the initial meeting, there are two more things you should consider.
-
Disciplinary Actions — Have any disciplinary actions been filed against the attorney or law firm?
Every state monitors the disciplinary actions filed against attorneys. In Illinois, the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, an agency of the Supreme Court of Illinois, investigates misconduct complaints against attorneys licensed in the state. Call the commission to ask if complaints have been filed against the attorneys you are considering.
- Comfort Level — Will you be comfortable discussing your invention in detail with the attorney?
-
Do you have any objections to showing your invention to the lawyer and demonstrating its use, if applicable? You need to be able to tell the attorney everything you can about your invention and feel comfortable answering truthfully all questions the lawyer asks.
Questions for a Patent Attorney
- What services does your firm offer?
- Have you assisted clients in my industry?
- Have you helped clients planning a business undertaking like mine?
- Have you worked with companies in the early stages of planning their business venture?
- How can I protect my intellectual property?
- Do I need to trademark anything?
- What licenses do I need?
- What contracts do I need?
- Which attorney in your firm will be helping me?
- How much time will an attorney in your firm spend each week helping me?
- What is your firm's hourly rate?
- Does your rate vary according to the type of work performed?
Why use UpCounsel to hire a Chicago Patent Attorney?
Average experience
You always get experienced professionals and high caliber work.
Faster
Your work gets done quickly because professionals are always available.
More cost effective
We use technology to cut traditional overhead and save you thousands.
UpCounsel has been talked about in:
Legal Services Offered by Our On-Demand Chicago Patent Attorneys
Our experienced Chicago patent attorneys & lawyers represent individuals and businesses throughout the world with domestic and foreign patent preparation and prosecution matters. They have extensive experience handling applications from nearly every sector of technology, including biotechnology, computer hardware and software, communication networks, internet systems and methods, automotive, medical equipment, construction technology, consumer electronics, and clean technology research and development.
Our patent attorneys are of the most highly trained in the industry, requiring a scientific background, and passing a second level of testing known as the Patent Bar Examination. Thousands of patents are submitted to the patent office every day and a patent committee reviews each patent for its validity. The process requires that correctly drafted documentation present a clear case for the novelty of the invention, which is best made by a patent attorney with a higher education background in your industry.
Our Chicago patent attorneys & lawyers can help you file a provisional patent, which lasts for 1-year and allows you to immediately begin using/manufacturing your invention with the confidence that your idea is protected. These types of patents are great if you think your idea will change a lot over the next year before you file a (non-provisional) patent. These patents are easier to obtain and are less expensive but you should have a patent lawyer review your provisional patent application to insure that you are meeting your objectives when you file your patent.
Improve Your Legal ROI with Affordable Patent Attorneys that service Chicago, IL.
What Our Customers Have to Say
"UpCounsel gives me access to big-firm lawyers minus the big-firm price tag. I work with several attorneys on the platform and there are never surprises...I always receive quality legal work at competitive rates that larger firms simply cannot match."
"Every startup needs to know about UpCounsel. We found great attorneys at great prices and were able to focus our resources on improving our business instead of paying legal bills."
"Before UpCounsel it was hard for us to find the right lawyer with the right expertise for our business. UpCounsel solves those problems by being more affordable and helping us find the right lawyer in no time."
Related Articles
Inventive Step
- 5 min read
What Is the Inventive Step?
The inventive step is used to find out if the patent is in fact for a new item or just an obvious improvement on an existing item. Inventive steps make sure patents aren't awarded to existing inventions that the "inventor" just improved upon. These patents could allow someone to make money off of an item just because they tweaked it. This patent could also allow them to sue companies that improve their own processes just because they made small changes as well.
The applicant must prove that the improvement isn't obvious to people within the industry and that there are actually improvements that come with patenting the idea.
One of the key words when talking about the inventive step is "obvious." Many people also refer to the inventive step as the "non-obviousness clause." The EPO defines this as going beyond the expectations of technology, instead of just following the next natural step.
<
...
Read MoreDesign Patent Cost
- 5 min read
Updated June 26, 2020:
How Much Does a Design Patent Cost?
The basic filing fee for a design patent application is $760 for a large entity. A small entity's fee is $380, while a micro-entity's fee is $190. If you hire a patent lawyer to assist with preparing documents and filing the design patent application, the cost could be around $1,500-$3,000.
The cost of a design patent is much less than the cost to get a utility patent. There are a few reasons that inventors and designers opt for design patents instead of or along with utility patents.
Utility p
...
Read MorePost Grant Review
- 8 min read
What Is a Post Grant Review?
A post grant review is a way of questioning a patent's validity recently issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. The America Invents Act (AIA) created it as a counterpart to inter partes review. Together, they replace the inter partes re-examination. A post grant review is available immediately after the patent has been issued. An inter partes review becomes available after the post grant review period has passed.
Post Grant Proceedings
The post grant review process was designed to allow the proceeds to be quick. The Director needs to set the rules that explain how long the proceedings will last within one year from the start of the proceedings. If the Director can show sufficient cause, he or she can set the rules within 18 months.
The Patent Trial and Ap
...
Read MoreHow Much Does a Patent Cost
- 7 min read
Updated June 18, 2020:
How Much Does it Cost?
A patent can cost from $900 for a do-it-yourself application to between $5,000 and $10,000+ with the help of patent lawyers.
A patent protects an invention and the cost of the process to get the patent will depend on the type of patent (provisional, non-provisional, or utility) and the complexity of the invention.
The Cost of Each Patent Application Type
Before you can think about patent costs, you must come up with a unique product idea that doesn't copy prior art. Prior art is any idea or product that already exists. After you have an original idea, you are ready to file a patent application.
...
Read MoreSoftware Patent Search
- 10 min read
Updated November 27, 2020:
Why Is a Software Patent Search Important?
A software patent search helps businesses and individuals figure out what kind of software already exists. If you've developed software or have a software idea, a software patent search tells you what similar ideas are out there. When you want to patent your software, the search helps you figure out if your software is unique enough for a patent.
A software patent search is a legal, business, and personal tool. It's a way to get a picture of the software market. You can check on the software patents that certain businesses hold and find examples to help you write a better software patent application.
Patenting Software
In the United States, you can get a patent for your software. Most software patents are utility patents. To be eligible for this type of patent, your software
...
Read More