Intellectual Property Services

Patent Energy works as an integrated extension of your technical development team to develop your Intellectual Property Portfolio with a minimal impact on your day-to-day operations.

We bring an extensive background in the offshore energy industry from a technical, commercial and contracts standpoint. This background coupled with our patent skills creates a unique value proposition that can efficiently build a Patent Portfolio that enhances your business outcomes.

"Give us the cocktail napkin sketch, we will get you the patent"

Patent Drafting & Prosecution

As inventions are identified and selected for patenting, the patenting process begins.

This includes drafting the specification and claims, and preparing the patent figures together with various other application elements and aligning these elements with your business plan.

Once an application is complete, it is filed with the patent office as a provisional, or non-provisional application as is best aligned with your business strategy.

Commercialization & Strategy

The patent application is tailored to align with and enhance your business. We present various various filing strategies, including foreign and domestic, fast track, PCT, and continuing, applications for you to consider that best aligns with your business strategy.

Once a patent is granted, we can manage and maintain the patent portfolio throughout the patent's lifecycle to ensure cost effective protection.

Other strategic services that we can provide can include general patent awareness in your industry segment, competitor patent activity monitoring, and general patent intelligence during merger and acquisition activities.

In the event one or more competitor patents identified as being of interest, for example a competitor patent that claims a product similar to yours, we can provide a detailed assessment of that patent and determine whether or not you should have a formal "freedom to operate (legal) opinion". We can also assist with developing "design arounds" or alternate embodiments for patenting that help to distinguish your offerings from your competitor's claimed inventions.

Invention Harvesting

We work with technical teams to identify, cultivate and align inventions with your business plans to start the patenting process. Often this can be done in a workshop format with the technical and business development teams where the creative juices can flow.

The next step can then involve refining and expanding the scope of the invention, hi-grading the ideas, and ultimately selecting concepts for further development and patenting.

Education and Training

Legal Liaison Support

Education on the basics of intellectual property is an essential element for fostering a culture of Intellectual Property awareness and ownership. Training can be customized to meet your specific business area, talent pool, and commercial drivers.

This training typically addresses basic patent law concepts, as well as addressing how an IP program can create value for your organization at a practical level that your technical and commercial teams "get".

Ultimately, our goal is to help build a culture of IP awareness, that recognizes the value of intellectual property on a long term, sustainable basis.

Typically, when a patent application advances to international filing or the non-provisional stage we start to engage with an IP law firm. This process ensures that the resulting patent is not just "grantable", but also defendable. This firm can be yours if you have one, or I can recommend one.

We can help clients decide when it is necessary to bring in the lawyers and when it is, we can work with the lawyers to minimize impact to the ongoing operations.

Activities such as freedom to operate an analysis, legal opinions, cease and desist orders, licensing, litigation, infringement analysis, and other legal pursuits are areas outside of what a patent agent is qualified and licensed to address and these complex issues remain the scope of the Patent Attorney.