Patent Service

It is of critical importance that time is spent identifying the angles that competitors may come from and to cover your patent idea as thoroughly as possible from the outset. The risk of spending significant amounts of money on patenting your idea, only to be circumvented by a clever copier at the last moment, needs to be mitigated as much as possible. This is why it is vitally important to engage in a professional patent service for the preparation of your patent application.

A patent attorney is specifically qualified to represent a patent applicant or patent holder. Patent attorneys generally offer patent services to clients which include filing, prosecuting (e.g. respond to examination reports) and maintaining patent applications as well as acting for clients in patent oppositions and providing patent validity and infringement advice.

Patent Service

The Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia website provides a good summary of what services patent attorneys can carry out:

• Determine whether a development is new and sufficiently inventive enough to justify a patent
• Determine the nature and ambit of inventions and prepare patent specifications
• Conduct IP audits of organisations and products
• Advise on intellectual property (IP), and help IP owners register and maintain their property
• Apply for and secure patents, registered trademarks, industrial designs and plant variety types in Australia and overseas
• Help transfer technology by licensing and other processes
• Lodge documents with the Patent Office, and guide applications through the process
• Provide patent services to clients in managing their IP portfolios, advising on patents and registrations held by others, and advising on whether developments infringe or might infringe rights held by others.

Where can I find a patent service?

The search for patent services often begins with either the internet or the Yellow Pages.

• Patent Attorney Directory — directory service for the main patent attorney firms operating in Australia.
• A list of registered patent attorneys in Australia may be found here.
• A database of searchable patent attorneys may also be found on the IP Australia website.
• The IPTA website also provides a searchable database for patent attorneys in Australia.