Holland & Hart has one of the largest, full-service intellectual property practices in the Mountain West, with a patent group that has been serving clients for nearly 20 years. Attorneys within our patent group are highly experienced in a variety of technical disciplines, including: mechanical arts, electrical/electronic arts, chemical arts, computer software and business methods, medical devices, and bioscience, among others. Our patent attorneys work with companies, organizations, universities, and individuals to draft and prosecute patent applications covering their technologies to meet their business needs. Our patent attorneys also advise clients regarding patent portfolio management, technology licensing, due diligence, patent enforcement, and overall intellectual property strategy.

Our patent lawyers represent domestic and international companies and have experience in virtually every aspect of the lifespan of a company. From initial start-up stages such as corporate formation, organization and financing, to the assessment, acquisition and enforcement of intellectual property rights for complex technologies, our attorneys have the relevant experience to assist companies in creating, maintaining, and policing a portfolio of intellectual property assets that helps companies create and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Patent Procurement Philosophy and Strategy

We believe in partnering with our clients to understand their goals and create a patent procurement strategy to best achieves those goals. We believe that a client's business objectives are the keys to any intellectual property procurement strategy. In view of these beliefs, our attorneys consider business aspects, such as where a company achieves its primary profit margins, to develop their IP strategy. We understand areas of competitive pressures as well as the competitive marketplace in general to better counsel clients on available options.

Whether we are developing a strategy for building a domestic and international patent portfolio for a large company, or preparing one or more patent applications directed to core technology for a start-up, we strive to understand business needs, develop an appropriate strategy that meets these needs, and then execute that strategy.

Domestic Patent Protection

Holland & Hart patent attorneys have significant legal and technical experience in numerous technology areas. Our patent attorneys have successfully represented clients throughout the stages of patent acquisition in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (including patent preparation, prosecution, appeals, reexaminations and reissues) and in foreign patent offices (including patent oppositions and appeals). Our patent attorneys possess the seasoned knowledge and hands-on experience, including substantial litigation experience, to handle complex patent matters and maximize the scope of patent protection ultimately obtained.

International Patent Protection

As the global economy becomes more important to even the smallest business entity, inventors and companies must consider whether and where to obtain patent protection on their inventions outside the U.S. Even when patent protection outside the U.S. is desirable, protecting a single invention throughout the world is costly. Holland & Hart can assist in identifying where to obtain protection that is cost efficient. To further reduce costs, Holland & Hart's patent attorneys have developed a vast network of foreign patent associates to provide experience and obtain international protection.

Patent Protection and Litigation

We believe in working hand-in-hand with our clients at every stage of IP litigation. We welcome client involvement in litigation strategy and planning.

While we are prepared to litigate any dispute, our first priority is our clients' business objectives. When a dispute arises, we move quickly to analyze the merits of the dispute, the alternative mechanisms and scenarios for resolving the dispute, as well as the costs associated with each scenario. Our clients benefit from this early analysis and can better determine whether it is in their best interest to litigate the dispute or settle the dispute in a manner that better satisfies the client's business objectives.

Holland & Hart's intellectual property litigators have substantial experience in trying virtually all types of disputes involving intellectual property and technology rights. Our litigation and dispute practice includes trials, appeals, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings, as well as matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Our litigators also have extensive experience in obtaining and defending against the issuance of temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, a distinct practice that frequently arises in intellectual property disputes.

HOLLAND & HART PATENT ATTORNEY TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

BIOSCIENCE
We regularly obtain and enforce patents in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including biology, genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

ENERGY
We work closely with the firm's natural resource lawyers and have experience in virtually all phases of energy, resources, and mining, including down-hole technologies, ore processing, energy generation, waste disposal, reduction, and mediation.

MEDICAL DEVICE
We work with medical device companies, large healthcare organizations, universities, and individual medical professionals to draft and prosecute patent applications covering their technology.

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
We have a wide range of experience in signal processing, semiconductors, computer architecture design, robotics, networking, circuit design, telecommunications, instrumentation, and control systems.

MECHANICAL & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
We work with clients in almost all mechanical and industrial engineering disciplines ranging over various structural designs, energy exchange systems, fluid and thermal dynamics, aerospace, recreational and extreme sporting goods, and outdoor equipment.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
We work with a wide spectrum of professionals in the chemical engineering industry to protect their emerging technologies, which range from innovative chemical processes in foam manufacturing to new process apparatus in oil refining.

SOFTWARE
We have successfully prepared and prosecuted hundreds of computer software patent applications directed to a wide variety of technologies, including data backup and management, security, e-commerce, networking, and data compression.

The Bottom Line

We believe that there is no "one size fits all" patent strategy and strive to understand your business, the competitive landscape, and emerging trends in the marketplace. We believe that we are competitive on a per-patent cost basis. The difference is that we partner with clients to achieve mutual goals.