Page Hargrave - Patent and Trademark Attorneys

A patent gives the owner a legal monopoly over a claimed invention. This enables the owner to prevent other parties from working the invention (i.e. making, using, importing or selling the invention). However, having a patent does not necessarily give the patentee a right to work the invention, since that may itself depend the rights of other parties.

How we can help

Page Hargrave can assist at all stages of the patent process, for example we can advise on the patentability of your ideas, arrange or conduct searches for relevant patents (i.e. to identify potential infringement risks), draft and file patent applications, see the applications through to grant and attend to renewal of the granted patent. Through us you can achieve worldwide protection for your invention. In addition, we can advise on infringement and validity of patents, manage your IP portfolio and carry out due diligence investigations. We can also advise in any disputes that may arise

Inventions must fulfil two basic requirements for a patent to be granted:

1. The invention must be of a technical nature
   
   Examples of inventions which may be protected by a patent include: new or improved machinery or equipment, electrical circuits, tools or gadgets, electronics, computer hardware, chemical compositions and methods for using or making these.Medical equipment, pharmaceutical products and even inventions in the field of biotechnology can be protected through patents.In addition, many (but not all) inventions involving computer software may be suitable for patent protection.
2. The invention must be new and non-obvious
   
   Because an invention must be new, it must not have been disclosed or made available to the public before a patent application is filed.Therefore,

CONFIDENTIALITY MUST BE MAINTAINED UNTIL A PATENT APPLICATION IS FILED WITH THE PATENT OFFICE

There are exceptions - disclosures to a Patent Attorney to enable the preparation of a patent application are subject to professional confidentiality, but public disclosures will generally mean that a patent cannot be validly applied for. One exception to this is the USA but we would strongly advise that you seek advice before disclosing your invention.

Patent applications may be filed virtually worldwide, with various routes available for obtaining patent protection overseas. We work closely with a network of trusted associates throughout the world to assist in the filing and prosecution of foreign applications.