Patents
Protecting Intellectual Assets
We routinely interact with patent and trademark examiners in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and secure and protect intellectual property rights around the world. Andrews Kurth intellectual property lawyers speak the business and technical languages of our clients. The whole focus of our IP counsel is securing for clients the maximum competitive advantage from effective exploitation and protection of their intellectual assets.
Patents
We regularly procure patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for clients in all technologies, and frequently perform patentability, validity, infringement and enforceability analyses of client and third party patents. We have extensive experience in ex parte and inter partes proceedings and routinely interact with patent examiners and with the Patent Office’s Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.
Our patent law counsel includes:
- Advising clients if an invention or technology can or should be patented
- Filing and prosecuting patent applications in the United States and in foreign countries
- Preparing agreements for patent and technology licensing as well as research and development
- Preparing infringement and validity opinions
- Litigating patent infringement claims
Patent application work in fields of:
Oilfield Apparatus and Methods
- U.S. Patent No. 6,259,801 - Riser Arrangement for Offshore Vessel
- U.S. Patent No. 6,719,186 - Method and Apparatus for End-to-End Welding of Lined Pipe
- U.S. Patent No. 7,152,544 - Ballast System for Tension Leg Platform
- U.S. Patent No. 7,212,923 - Inferred Production Rates of a Rod Pumped Well
- U.S. Patent No. 7,299,760 - Floating LNG Import Terminal
Chemical Processing
- U.S. Patent No. 6,228,273 - Control of Rate of Dissolution of Solid Chemical Material into Solution
- U.S. Patent No. 6,451,271 - Chlorination Apparatus
- U.S. Patent No. 6,729,329 - System for Removal of Halocarbon Gas from Waste Anesthetic Gases
- U.S. Patent No. 7,075,653 - Laser-Based Remote Methane Leak Detection
Management Systems
- U.S. Patent No. 5,448,738 - Method for Information Communication between Concurrently Operating Computer Programs
- U.S. Patent No. 6,373,486 - Method and Apparatus for Creating Representations of Geologic Shapes
Recent Law Suits
- Alexsam, Inc. v. Wildcard Systems, Inc. (credit card processing) - Settled
- Automation Controls of Michigan, LLC v. Quicksilver Resources, Inc. (gas processing) - Settled
- Varco I/P, Inc. v. Tesco Corporation (drilling equipment) - Pending
- Frank’s Casing Crew and Rental Tools, Inc. v. Tesco Corporation
- (drilling equipment) - Pending
- Tesco v. FDS (drilling equipment) - Settled
Publications
- "Software Patents Procuring and Enforcing" Patent Resources Group (2000)
