Ideas have consequences, which is why they need protection.

The Intellectual Property team at Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black (WRVB) provides a comprehensive range of services for intellectual property protection, including:

  • Identifying, registering, and protecting of all forms of intellectual property
  • Patent options and prosecution
  • Proper use, licensing and assignment of trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
  • Safeguarding and defending trade secrets
  • Prosecution and/or defense of intellectual property issues in federal and state courts and administrative proceedings
  • Domain name counseling and protection
  • Software protection and licensing agreements
  • Valuation and assessment of intellectual property in mergers and acquisitions
  • Intellectual property management and audits
  • Association with international counsel regarding protection of intellectual property in other countries

Intellectual property rights are valuable assets. WRVB helps our clients identify, manage, protect and exploit their valuable intellectual property assets to their fullest potential. Our team is comprised of corporate and litigation lawyers and registered patent attorneys who work together to enforce IP and defend against claims of infringement. In addition to working with established companies, we also guide entrepreneurs and start-ups in formation and business contracts, as well as counsel on growing and protecting the valuable IP of an innovative business.

With offices in key Virginia locations, plus offices abroad, we have extensive experience filing and successfully prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications and challenging patents post-issuance. We also conduct and supervise prior art searches, such as patentability, validity, and state-of-the-art searches. WRVB also conducts infringement searches and provides infringement and freedom-to-operate opinions.

Patents

Patents are often the most valuable asset for a business or an inventor. WRVB assists clients in evaluating their inventions and designs and in preparing and filing patent and design applications, as well as patent infringement litigation if necessary. Our attorneys, including registered patent attorneys, provide a full range of services in the patent area including patent prosecution, counseling, licensing, acquisition, litigation, and opposition proceedings.

Our patent work includes counsel on:

  • Biotechnology
  • Business methods
  • Education-related methods and devices
  • Electrical and electronic circuitry
  • Green technology
  • Mechanical devices
  • Medical devices and methods
  • Motor vehicle systems such as suspension and axle improvements
  • Packaging solutions
  • Ship loading and unloading devices, including cranes and motors associated with such activities
  • Software
  • Trade secrets
  • Wireless transmission technologies

Trademarks

All businesses have some trademarks eligible for protection—the name of the business, its logo, a tagline, or an advertising slogan—that the business uses to differentiate its products or services in the minds of its customers. WRVB attorneys help clients in choosing, protecting, and enforcing trademarks. We also assist businesses in:

  • Conducting and reviewing trademark searches
  • Preparing and prosecuting trademark applications
  • Implementing trademark policing programs
  • Trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising litigation
  • Trademark clearance, registration and maintenance with federal and state trademark offices

Copyrights

Copyright protection can be particularly effective for businesses that create software, write instruction manuals, or create artistic or literary works such as movies, photographs, and books. Even businesses that do not create ‘copyrightable’ works must be cognizant of copyright laws to avoid infringement lawsuits and disputes over ownership of ‘copyrightable’ materials.

We assist clients in registering all types of ‘copyrightable’ works with the Copyright Office as well as bringing and defending copyright infringement claims in federal court.

Commercialization, Licensing, and Assignments

The transfer of rights to intellectual property can be an important source of revenue for businesses, most commonly through licenses and assignments. Because licenses are formal contractual relationships, it is essential that both parties to the transaction have a full understanding of the exact terms of the license. While assignments are usually conceptually simpler than licenses, it is important to understand the scope of the intellectual property being transferred.

We assist clients in negotiating and drafting license and assignment agreements, and our attorneys are available to apply experience and familiarity with license and assignments for clients seeking to enter into or enforce these agreements.

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