Retaining An Intellectual Property Attorney

So you’ve invented the Super Duper Sliced Bread Crust Remover, and you want to patent it. Or you’re convinced that Miramax stole the story idea you sent in to them three years ago, and you want to sue. You need an intellectual property attorney. An intellectual property attorney is a lawyer who specializes in patent and copyright law. If you need to patent a new invention, an intellectual property attorney can do the patent searches and file your paperwork. If you need to copyright your screenplay before sending it to the producer who requested it, you should visit an intellectual property attorney. What does an intellectual property attorney do? He studies copyright and patent law; for instance, to be considered a new invention, most devices only need a relatively small improvement – this is why there are a dozen major DVD player manufacturers instead of one. In order to be considered a new work of art, you only have to have a book that’s 25% original. How can you quantify this? An intellectual property attorney knows how. You can find an intellectual property attorney in many places – online,

in large law firms, or by speaking to your agent (if you’re a writer or artist.) Often, you can network with people you know to find out which intellectual property attorney they retained, and how good he is. Regardless of where you find him, ask for references; you’re going to be paying a lot of money to him, and you want an intellectual property attorney who’s known to do a good job. Be certain you get references from both recent customers and people he worked for several years ago; sometimes intellectual property lawsuits involve challenges years after copyright or patent is established. Make sure you get the best. Your intellectual property rights are not something to skimp on.