Practice Areas & Industries: Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Practice/Industry Group Overview

A patent represents the rights to keep others from making, using or selling an invention. U.S. patents are granted by the federal government. Foreign governments also grant patents to protect inventions in their countries. The patent grant is in the form of a printed document.

"A thorough understanding of the scientific disciplines that underlie patentable ideas–and insight into relevant market realities–are critical to helping clients protect and fully utilize their IP."

Services Available

Patent Practice at Fredrikson & Byron

We offer a comprehensive patent practice within a full-service Intellectual Property (IP) group. That means we have the capabilities to file, register, prosecute, and litigate patents on a global basis. We work with clients across many industries; they range in size from emerging and mid-sized businesses to the Fortune 500 companies who rely on our ability to orchestrate their IP on an international basis.

All of our patent attorneys are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Each has at least one technical degree; many have advanced degrees. These attorneys work with our patent agents, paralegals, and staff scientists to provide high-quality, cost-effective protection.

A thorough understanding of the scientific disciplines that underlie patentable ideas—and insight into relevant market realities—are critical to helping clients protect and fully utilize their IP. Because of this, individual attorneys focus on areas such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, industrial, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agriculture, software, and others.

We commonly look beyond a client's immediate goal of patent application; we take a global perspective as we balance the risks and benefits of various levels of protection and evaluate how patent coverage integrates with clients' business needs.

As clients' businesses and IP portfolios evolve, we can work with them on the "technology transfer" side as well, to correlate their own growing IP portfolios with processes for "licensing in" the rights of other patentees, or "licensing out" their own patents to others. Such integration helps to ensure clients maintain the ability to practice their technology.

Often, patent issues relate to a host of corporate matters: Should you license? Form a joint venture? What are the corporate structure, taxation, and other implications of obtaining this patent? Our position within a multi-disciplinary firm—and our ability to team up with a range of corporate in-house attorneys—typically saves clients time and money. Such experience also enables us to complement and strengthen the work of attorneys a client may bring in from the outside, resulting in a better end product.

Patent Services

• Searches
• Opinions
• Availability opinions
• Patentability opinions
• Right-to-use opinions
• Patent preparation, filing and prosecution
• IP portfolio analysis and management
• IP assessment and valuation
• International filing and prosecution
• Due diligence, for example, in the course of acquisitions, divestitures, mergers