Patents

Patent Protection
The Hecker Law Group has represented many of the world's most innovative companies in patent law matters. The firm has developed and implemented patent programs for Fortune 500 companies, Silicon Valley pioneers, and new technology startups. The Hecker Law Group has been involved in successfully securing, enforcing and defending patents since the early days of the personal computer.

Among the firm's practice areas in patent law matters are:

1. Identifying inventions for possible patenting;
2. Preparing and prosecuting patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office;
3. Establishing patent programs to maximize protection for clients' inventions;
4. Performing patent infringement studies to determine if a company is infringing a patent;
5. Performing patent validity studies to determine if patent can be invalidated or rendered unenforceable;
6. Evaluating inventions to determine whether they are patentable;
7. Performing patent novelty searches and rendering patent novelty opinions;
8. Initiating patent infringement litigation in federal court as counsel for patent owners;
9. Defending accused patent infringers in federal patent litigation;
10. Negotiating and preparing patent license agreements, technology transfers, joint ventures and technology development agreements and patent assignments including employee invention assignments;
11. Initiating and defending Patent Office Reexamination Proceedings and patent interference proceedings.

Patent Litigation
The Hecker Law Group handles complex patent litigation in the federal district courts and before the International Trade Commission, administrative proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and patent appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The firm has represented Fortune 500 companies, industry innovators and small companies alike in patent infringement litigation.

Our patent litigation team is experienced, technical, creative, practical, efficient and effective.Companies often chose The Hecker Law Group as their patent litigation over much larger law firms when their core products or company survival may be at stake. Our firm's established patent litigation team focuses on results. We are strategic. We develop a litigation approach designed to obtain the best possible outcome in the most effective way possible.

The firm has a strong track record in representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement actions. Please refer to the "Cases" section of our web site for some examples of our client representation in patent litigation. References can also be provided upon request.

Patent Evaluations
The firm has performed innumerable patent evaluations. Those evaluations include patent infringement and validity studies, patent test "attacks", and vetting patents for licensing transactions.

Our firm's evaluations on patent infringement and patent validity can help lead to a claimant withdrawing or abandoning their claims entirely, and in developing strategies for defense and enforcement. Strategies such as targeted prior art investigations, patent reexaminations, and uncovering inequitable conduct have help contribute to a achieving favorable outcomes for our clients.

Patent and Intellectual Property Programs
Being proactive is important in intellectual property. If you do not have the right protection when you need it, you may be out of luck to enforce the rights you wished you had. A part of our firm's practice, we advise, encourage and help companies to develop valuable patent and trademark portfolios to insure they have the protection they need when they need it.

The firm has developed our own unique approach to implementing intellectual property programs. Our intellectual property development and implementation plans are tailored to individual client needs. We design, build, launch and execute intellectual property programs, whether patent, trademark, copyright or domain name. We help insure that you are able to successfully "drive" and sustain the program.

The firm has designed and implemented intellectual property programs for many of the world's most innovative and well-known companies. For example, the firm:

1. Established a corporate patent program for the world's leading data base management software company;
2. Established a corporate patent program (including on-site implementation time where he would meet with inventors and management), at an award winning manufacturer of personal computers;
3. Established a corporate patent program at a leading manufacturer of application specific integrated circuits;
4. Established extensive trademark programs and managed trademark portfolios for many companies in diverse product areas from clothing to software, and from hotels to entertainment.

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