Patent Prosecution

Obtaining valuable patents is the basis for the effective protection of our client's intellectual property. The value of a patent resides not only in its validity over prior art but also in its suitability for enforcement in court. Many of the difficulties of successful patent litigation appear to be attributable to avoidable shortcomings during prosecution.

A primary requirement for effective prosecution is a thorough understanding of the technologies involved, combined with excellent communicative skills to obtain all relevant information from an inventor. In many cases, it is only during the discussions with our patent attorneys that the new and inventive aspects of an invention are identified.

A streamlined and efficient procedure is a further characteristic of our prosecution services. Our approach is to provide qualified recommendations rather than simply asking for instructions from the client. This applies to all issues arising during the course of an application from filing to grant, always bearing in mind the overall objective of a maximum scope of protection at reasonable cost.

Last but not least, high-quality prosecution requires practical experience in construing claims and an awareness of the limited possibilities for preserving evidence in proceedings before the European national courts, particularly before the German infringement courts. In marked contrast to many other patent firms, every patent attorney at BARDEHLE PAGENBERG participates in the infringement cases and is therefore aware of the dangers and pitfalls when drafting or amending the claims or the specification of a patent application. This results in patents that not only overcome the legal hurdles, but which define the invention with a minimum number of clear and verifiable features.