San Diego Patent Attorneys & Lawyers

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David Y.

David Yamaguchi

239 reviews
Startups and small businesses sometimes need someone who can deal with complex transactions on an international playing field. David Yamaguchi specializes in content hosting issues and intellectual property. He concentrates his practice in the United States, Asia, India, and Europe. Whether you are a business giant or a startup, Mr. Yamaguchi can provide legal advice that fits your needs.
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Edward R.

Edward Robinson

35 reviews
Edward Robinson is a patent attorney that mainly works with corporations to help them obtain patent protection for pharmaceutical products, medical devices and related inventions. He is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Edward has over 14 years of experience. He practices law in California and received a J.D in law from the University of San Diego School of Law. Edward has recently jointed Tech Law LLP, but have represented a large number of companies as a corporate counsel.
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Aaron B.

Aaron Bernstein

11 reviews
As in-house head of Intellectual Property for most of my 30-year career, I have helped prominent technology companies protect and leverage their IP to advance their most cr... read more
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John G.

John Giust

2 reviews
John is experienced in both transactional and litigation matters having practiced law at some of the best firms in the US. He is an electrical engineer with a background in... read more
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Johnny M.

Johnny Manriquez

115 reviews
Johnny Manriques is a patent attorney with extensive experience in dealing with cases that involves intellectual property law and related legal matters. He has more than 14 years of experience and is licensed to practice law in California. Johnny is registered with the State Bar of California. He has a Juris Doctor degree in law. Johnny recently started his own firm, but worked with Procopio Cory for three years prior to starting his own law office.
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Kevin B.

Kevin Buckley

2 reviews
Kevin Buckley is a business lawyer with almost two decades of experience. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies in the past, as well as with entrepreneurs. Some of his clients include WebListers, Dermala, CureMetrix and Jaan Biotherapeutics. Kevin is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Pennsylvania. He obtained his degree in law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Kevin has been a shareholder at Torrey Pines Law Group since April 2013.
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Bruce H.

Bruce Hare

2 reviews
Genius Patent specializes in patent preparation and prosecution. Our enthusiastic and motivated team can help you protect your valuable intellectual property. Founder Bruce... read more
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Vince L.

Vince Liptak

Vince Liptak is a part of Barnes and Thornburg LLP where he focuses on patent practice particularly as it relates to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and chemicals. Before becoming a part of this law practice, he worked as in-house counsel for numerous companies, focusing on intellectual property and managing global patent portfolios.
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Yan L.

Yan Leychkis

Yan is a highly regarded San Diego patent attorney with over eight years of patent prosecution experience in both law firm and in-house settings. His main areas of expertise include biotechnology, immuno and molecular diagnostics, and medical devices. His law experience is well-complemented by his master's degree in medical sciences and bachelor's degree in chemistry.
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Donald W.

Donald Wenskay

Protecting your company’s assets is important and attorney Donald Wenskay can help you. As an experienced patent attorney with over 21 years of experience, Mr. Wenskay is able to help you navigate through the paperwork and legal woes related to all copyrights, trademarks, and patents. His experience specifically lies within the areas of medical devices, computer hardware, software, optics, media, and the Internet.
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Why Hire a Patent Lawyer?

Hiring an expert patent attorney is the best way to secure protection for your great ideas. While the law does not require you to have a lawyer in order to file a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the application process has many specific steps. Having someone on your side who is an expert in patent law can be the difference between getting your patent and walking out of the USPTO empty handed.

Not hiring a patent attorney to file your patent can lead to several problems.

You might not provide enough information about the invention for your provisional patent application. If you add information to you non-provisional patent application that does not match your original application, this could be grounds for denying your patent request.

You end up relying on the provisional filing to protect your patent. The provisional filing is only a temporary protection meant to safeuard early inventions while they are tweaked and honed to become truly revolutionary. Only non-provisional patents can fully protect your inventions.

When you file without a lawyer you may end up including too much information or irrelevant information. This could delay the application process which means more time that your ideas is floating around without protection.

Patent lawyers are not only experts in patent law, but they are also experts in certain technical fields. Having a great patent lawyer on your side when you file for your patent can help improve your chances of protection as well as any future litigation regarding your inventions. Unlike other practicing attorneys, patent lawyers specialize in difficult-to-understand professions so they can successfully acquire patents.

How to Find the Best Patent Lawyer

Finding the best patent lawyer may mean looking slightly outside of San Diego. Patent law is federally regulated, so having a lawyer as close as possible may not be the most important factor. You can easily communicate with your patent lawyer over the phone or by email, or find a patent lawyer who is just as qualified in the greater San Diego area.

Lawyers who do not work in the center of major cities like San Diego will have lower overhead costs for their rent and salaries so they often are able to charge less than the rates you might find in downtown San Diego.

That being said, you should not base your decision on your patent lawyer solely on their fees. You want to find someone who understands patents and who understands the technical side of your innovations. 

Start by searching online for patent attorneys in San Diego and the surrounding areas like Temecula. Speak to the California Bar Association or the San Diego County Bar Association for recommendations and to check if those lawyers are still considered to be in good standing. 

After doing all your research, create a short list of lawyers that you want to contact. If you found some in the San Diego area, try to meet with them in person. Otherwise, set up a time to speak with them over the phone to ask questions and explain your business. 

A top patent attorney will: 

  • Write you emails and speak to you in a way that you understand, not using legal jargon.
  • Call you to discuss the details of any problems promptly as they arise.
  • Remind you within plenty of time (and perhaps several times) of upcoming deadlines.
  • Happily talk through any issues with you and explain exactly what the consequences of each option will be. They will then advise you on what they believe to be the best option for your business.
  • Write patent applications that are highly detailed and that clearly explain your technology for the examiners.

Questions for Patent Lawyers

  • How many products have you written applications for and how many patents have been granted for applications you have written? This is an incredibly valuable question. It allows you to get a picture of how well they write their applications. Are they successfully getting company's their desired patents or are they constantly getting denied a patent?
  • What is your technical experience? Before becoming a lawyer, many patent attorneys studied technical degrees like engineering or biology. You want to find a patent lawyer whose expertise aligns with your business innovations. The more they can understand about your business and its inventions, the better able they will be to write patent applications that get approved.
  • Were you previously a USPTO examiner? Many patent attorneys used to work for the USPTO as examiners of patents. If you think that you will require several patents over the lifetime of your business, an attorney with this kind of experience is the best you can get. They have been on both sides of the application process and know exactly what the USPTO office is looking for in an application.

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Legal Services Offered by Our On-Demand San Diego Patent Attorneys

Our experienced San Diego 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 San Diego 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.

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