Patent Defense refers to strategies to reduce exposure to patent litigation risk.
Unwanted patent litigation can distract management, discourage investors, aggravate potential customers, not to mention cost several millions in attorney fees alone.
A common business goal is to avoid the high costs and distractions of patent litigation.
Thompson Patent Law provides patent defense services in four primary areas:
- Patent Reexamination to challenge validity of an issued patent
- Freedom to Operate to guide client investment in product development
- Competitor Patent Audit to identify and assess risks posed by competitors’ patents
- Defensive Battle Planning to proactively design a defensive position against identified risks
Patent Reexamination can serve as an effective strategy to delay enforcement, or narrow the scope, of the claims of an issued patent. In some circumstances, it may be advantageous to file a preemptive strike by requesting reexamination before your business is sued for infringing that patent.
In some cases, challenging the patent may be advised to “clear the air” in order to make a strategic investment decision.
To learn more about these and other patent defensive strategies for your business needs, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
Our services for patent defense can involve any of the following:
- Litigation avoidance strategies
- Reexamination of patent validity at the US Patent Office
- Analyze freedom to operate for your business
- Opinions on patent validity or infringement
- Develop non-patent leverage for negotiation or settlement
- IP due diligence for sale or merger of a business
