• Patent Infringement and Validity Opinions
• Trademark Opposition and Cancellation Proceedings at the TTAB
• Trademark Applications
• Inter partes review and post grant proceedings at the PTAB
• Incorporations, LLCs, Contracts & IP Licensing
• Confidentiality & Nondisclosure Agreements, NDA, CDA
• Manufacturing and Distribution Agreements

Austin Patent Infringement Attorneys

We take allegations of patent infringement seriously, and we know our clients do too. Patent infringement can drastically affect your business interests. Unchecked infringement can threaten markets, and the bottom line. On the other hand, bogus allegations of infringement can deter fair competition and innovation.

If any of these situations apply, we encourage you to contact the experienced patent attorneys at The Buche Law Firm, PC:

• You have an issue with a Patent Trial & Appeal Board (“PTAB”) filing
• You have an issue with an inter partes review (“IPR”)
• You have an issue with a post grant review (“PGR”)
• You have an issue with an ex parte patent challenge
• You have a derivation proceeding at the PTAB
• You need a patent search and patentability opinion

Importantly, The Buche Law Firm, PC specializes in patent law and patent litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. We have represented both sides, so we know how our opponent will see a case. We bring this experience to the table for our clients.

We know that patent litigation can be an expensive process, so our attorneys take care to fully assess possible infringement strategies while carefully considering and informing our clients about the options. If a client is being accused of patent infringement, we can provide counsel as to how best to deal with defense from a cost perspective, and find a solution that meets the needs of your business.

Aggressive Patent Litigation Representation

You deserve aggressive legal representation on patent issues that can affect your business. We will deliver this type of service. Not only do we have attorneys who are experts in the area of patent law, but we have attorneys who like to litigate and will be more than comfortable trying your case to a jury, judge, arbitration panel, mediator, or arguing in appellate forums. Our Austin patent attorneys have done all those things, and if your opponent is not reasonable in negotiation, we will find justice elsewhere by harnessing the other wheels of procedure. Being experts in these matters allow our patent attorneys to provide our clients with aggressive representation designed to secure their best interests.

Austin Patent Attorneys: Venue and Patent Law

In most cases, patent litigation proceeds in federal court. Venue is often one of the first concerns where litigation is concerned. The choice of venue is important, particularly as it relates to the convenience of the parties involved in the case, and the expertise of the particular courts.

Also, with the changes of the Patent Reform Act, there are alternative venues for resolving patent disputes, but most notably the Patent Trial & Appeal Board or “PTAB” as it is commonly known. Most patent disputes will find their way into this forum. The PTAB provides an administrative avenue to challenge the validity of patents. Much deference is now given to this board, so that that lawsuits filed in federal court are often “stayed” as the boards decide matters of patent validity on a claim-by-claim basis. There are a variety of procedures available for litigants at the PTAB including inter partes review (“IPR”), post grant review (“PGR”), and ex parte challenge mechanisms. At The Buche Law Firm, PC we have successfully deployed all of these procedural mechanisms to achieve good results for our clients. We are licensed at the Patent Office and are comfortable with these challenges and balancing them with the nuances of litigation in federal courts across the country.

In other cases, patent disputes will proceed by arbitration, where private judges decide matters of infringement, or they can involve proceedings at the International Trade Commission, which will consider proceedings to obtain exclusion orders.

Austin Patent Attorney: What Are Some Remedies for Patent Infringement?

Often, our clients seek legal counsel from us because they want another party to cease infringing upon their patent. They may want imports of patent-infringing products to stop. They may desire—as is their right—monetary damages. In patent cases, the courts may award the patent owner damages as related to reasonable licensing royalties or lost profits. It’s often necessary to solicit the advice of forensic economists to evaluate damages. Injunctions are also often sought to get the infringement shut down. In other cases, patent rights holders may seek exclusion orders, or seizures of infringing products with the cooperation of either the U.S. Marshall’s service or United States Customs & Border Protection.

What Is the Procedure for Patent Infringement?

Patent litigation in federal court typically concerns several major focuses. We will elaborate upon them here:

Claim Construction

During the claim construction phase of litigation (which can occur at various times), the court will examine the language used in the claims to define the case’s scope. Each term in the claim is significant, and some more than others. At the beginning of this process, the court will assess the patent description and also evaluate the paperwork and file history that preceded the patent’s issuance. In some cases, the court may choose to employ an expert to decipher the claim as patents can be highly complex. The conclusion of this phase often ends with a Markman hearing, which may involve testimony from witnesses. Our attorneys have seen cases where the Markman construction nearly concludes the patent infringement case with a summary judgement. In these cases, a party might seek to elevate the case to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has a history of considerable reversal rates. Claim construction is also an important phase of cases that proceed at the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (“PTAB”) because interpretation of patent claims will have a bearing of patent validity.

Patent Validity

If a patent claim is invalid, it can’t be infringed. For this reason, many patent disputes focus on patent validity. Patent validity challenges can occur in federal court, but increasingly, litigants are moving disputes on the validity of patent into the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (“PTAB”), due to the perceived lower costs, expert judges at the PTAB, and statistically higher success rates of killing patents in that forum. Patent validity challenges proceed on a claim-by-claim basis, and the challenger will typically try to show that the claims were invalid because of issues of lack of novelty under 35 USC §102, for being “obvious” under 35 USC §103, for not being “enabled” under 35 USC §112, or sometimes for issues of “fraud on the patent office” by reason of knowing failures to disclose critical references to technologies that pre-date or “anticipate” the patent claims.

Infringement Liability

Assuming a patent survives validity challenges, Markman construction, and summary judgment defenses of non-infringement, then infringement liability will come into play. Infringement liability may or may not include damage evaluations. Some litigants care more about an injunction that will stop infringements than monetary damages. But, it’s during this phase that plaintiffs will attempt to prove that their patent has been violated by providing evidence, reports, and witnesses who attempt to prove that the defendant’s products or services have all the elements of the plaintiff’s patent claims. During this part of a trial, a defendant will argue that they did not infringe upon the patent claims. Frequently, experts will be called in to opine on whether the elements of the claims are met when compared to the Defendant’s products.

Damages

Arguing about damages is a particularly intensive part of the process as one might imagine. The plaintiff will want to achieve compensation for lost profits or sales, or to find a reasonable royalty. It’s common for both the plaintiff and defendant to call in forensic economists or accountants to review the case and present damage models. Sometimes the court will decide to separate phases of the case depending on the interests of justice.

Enhanced Damages in Patent Cases

If the plaintiff proves that the defendant willfully infringed on the patent owner’s rights, they can be liable for increased damages. If the defendant knew that the patent was valid and continued to infringe upon the owner’s rights, they are liable.

Declaratory Judgment Actions

A party accused of patent infringement may be entitled to a Declaratory Judgment Action under federal law. This action is effectively a request for the court to decide if an activity is infringing upon the owner’s patent or if the patent is valid. Declaratory Judgment actions are often the first filings in a venue battle, and to determine in which jurisdiction a patent case will be heard. Some jurisdictions, such as the legendary Eastern District of Texas, have become known across the country for their roles in resolving patent disputes, and spawning patent reform legislation.

Austin Patent Search Attorneys

If you need a patent search, you should hire real patent attorneys to perform the search. At The Buche Law Firm, PC, we do not outsource our patent searches. They are done in house by our own patent professionals, and they are also reasonably priced. Our searches are classification-based, and we make sure to thoroughly understand and identify appropriate search parameters for every case. It has been our experience that many of the online “patent search” services that offer discount searches are not much better than what a user could find by a simple word search on a major search engine like Yahoo, Bing or Google. Many of the discount search companies completely miss the points of novelty, or simply do not understand the technology they are searching well enough to identify relevant prior art. Worse, disclosing proprietary technology to services outside of the country, where legal privilege and confidentiality may not exist, is dangerous. At The Buche Law Firm, PC, we are licensed attorneys in the United States and the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Your confidential and legally privileged information will be secured on encrypted platforms.

A good patent search is of the utmost importance for understanding whether a technology is patentable, what scope of protection may be available, and also for other reasons where patent validity is in question, or infringement may be a concern. We have different patent searches that target a variety of needs. If you would like to get started on your patent search, do not hesitate to contact us for a free initial consultation.

Austin Patent Attorneys: Choosing the Best Patent Attorneys

Patent law involves many complexities. Both plaintiffs and defendants require experienced attorneys who specialize in this aspect of the law. With decades of experience, The Buche Law Firm, PC has expert patent attorneys who can represent you throughout the patent process, with patent acquisition, patent infringement opinions, licensing, and patent infringement litigation. Our Austin patent attorneys will meet with you to discuss your patent issue, taking care to examine all of the issues to provide you with the best legal counsel. We will meet with you initially at no charge to see how we may be of assistance. Before you receive any charges, we will make sure to understand the issues, objectives, and also to understand your budget needs. If you would like to set up a free initial consultation for any of your patent issues, contact us here.