Northern California Patent Reexamination Lawyers

Bay Area Patent Attorneys

Under United States patent law, any person — either the inventor or a third party — may request patent reexamination to verify that the subject matter is, in fact, patentable. There are two main types of patent reexaminations — ex parte reexaminations and inter partes reexaminations — and various strategic reasons for undertaking either type of patent reexamination.

At the Bay Area intellectual property law firm of Schneck & Schneck, our Northern California patent reexamination attorneys regularly use patent reexamination procedures to protect our clients' intellectual property rights.

Founded more than 30 years ago, Schneck & Schneck is an AV-rated* law firm whose intellectual property attorneys have more than 70 years of combined legal experience. In addition, our attorneys and patent agents have professional backgrounds in high-technology fields such as computer hardware and software engineering, microbiology, physics, and electrical engineering.

To consult with Schneck & Schneck about patent reexamination proceedings or patent litigation, contact us online or call 408/297-9733. You may also complete our intellectual property case evaluation form.

An ex parte patent reexamination is handled by the patent owner and the patent examiner, and the party who requested the reexamination does not participate once the proceedings begin. In an inter partes patent reexamination, the party who requested the patent reexamination is allowed to comment on information submitted by the patent owner and is also allowed to appeal the patent examiner's decisions.

Patent reexaminations can be strategically useful in a number of situations — whether you are the patent owner or a party with interest in the patent for another reason.

Often, patent reexaminations may be the first step in a longer intellectual litigation process or may be part of a broader intellectual property enforcement plan.

To learn more, we encourage you to contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced Bay Area patent lawyers. Contact us online or call 408/297-9733.

* AV indicates legal ability rated at "very high to preeminent." CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories — legal ability and general ethical standards.