N&V Services

Prosecution practice

Nixon & Vanderhye P.C. is recognized as one of the world’s top intellectual property law firms for patent and trademark prosecution services. Our attorneys have an average of 20 years of prosecution experience. Our attorneys have a wide range of technical expertise enabling us to handle patent applications relating to virtually any technology. Many of our attorneys have served as patent examiners and/or as members of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. We are regularly ranked as one of the top firms in procuring U.S. patents.

Prosecution and related services include:

• Preparing, filing and prosecuting before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in foreign countries:
  
  • Applications for utility patents;
  • Applications for design patents;
  • Applications for registration of trademarks; and
  • Applications for registration of service marks
    
• Preparing, filing and prosecuting copyright registration applications.
  
• Preparing, filing and prosecuting U.S. continuation, divisional and continuation-in-part applications.
  
• Preparing, filing and prosecuting U.S. reissue applications.
  
• Preparing, filing and prosecuting U.S. reexamination applications.
  
• Interferences before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  
• Appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
  
• Appeals from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or the U.S. District Court.
  
• Providing legal opinions regarding intellectual property issues, such as:
  
  • Patentability of inventions;
  • Patent infringement;
  • Patent validity;
  • Patent enforceability;
  • Registrability of trademarks and service marks; and
  • Trademark infringement.
    
• Conducting patent and trademark searches.
  
• Preparing intellectual property license agreements for patents, trademarks and/or trade secrets.
  
• Maintaining patent and trademark portfolios, including the payment of government maintenance fees.
  
• Assisting clients in establishing intellectual property management policies and procedures.
  
• Providing original drawings for patent and trademark prosecution through our in-house graphics arts department.
  
  

Litigation practice

Nixon & Vanderhye P.C. has the capability to handle, and routinely does handle, major litigations on behalf of our clients with a highly qualified cadre of very experienced trial attorneys, staff and technical support personnel. We have been recognized by our peers and legal experts as being one of the top six Washington D.C. area firms for handling complex patent litigation matters. Many of our attorneys have been patent trial attorneys with the U. S. Department of Justice, testifying experts on patent and trademark law, and arbitrators and mediators of patent and trademark disputes. As recognition of our litigation expertise, we are often engaged by larger firms to assist them with complex patent law and technology issues facing their clients. Litigation Services include:

• Trying intellectual property cases before judges and juries.
  
• Representing clients as either plaintiffs or defendants in district courts throughout the United States, including such “popular” venues as the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
  
• Representing clients in actions brought before the International Trade Commission.
  
• Appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for patent and trademark matters.
  
• Appeals to regional appellate courts in non-patent cases.
  
• Assisting general practice firms with complex patent and technological issues facing their clients.
  
• Serving as local counsel in cases brought in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
  
• Providing litigation support through our in-house graphics arts department.
• Representing clients in trademark opposition proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.