Patent Attorney Needed: San Francisco

November 18, 2007 2:46 AM

Anyone have any experiences with San Francisco patent attorneys? I want to try to get a utility patent.

I know there's lots of steps, time, and money involved. I want someone who can do it right, and the best possible chance of a successful issuance; I don't want to take any chances or shortcuts. Who should I see?

It's a very simple business process / Internet thing.

posted by trevyn to Law & Government (5 answers total)

Read Pressman's Patent it Yourself, even if you won't be doing it, the more you can help the attorney the better.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:04 AM on November 18, 2007

Agree you should read up beforehand. Be wary of these invention submission companies-they're not all crooked, but many of them are.

Can't recommend anyone specific, but contact smaller IP boutique type firms. Some won't take on non-corporate clients, but you'll quickly find out which ones do.
posted by Brian James at 9:53 AM on November 18, 2007

Townsend and Townsend has been doing patent work forever. If they're too expensive, they probably have a referral list to reputable smaller firms.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:05 AM on November 18, 2007

By far the sharpest patent attorney I've ever worked with is Craig Opperman.
posted by jet_silver at 11:22 AM on November 18, 2007

I'm an attorney at Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman (bstz-dot-com, purposely not [self-] linked ). We're a boutique IP firm, and although I'm in the Portland office, we have offices in Sunnyvale as well. You're welcome to call/email if you have questions.

The process is very expensive, and it's important to understand why you're doing it and what you can hope to get out of it before you start.

Good luck.
posted by spacewrench at 11:44 AM on November 18, 2007