Tennessee Patent Law

Your Tennessee Intellectual Property Experts

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Welcome to Tennessee Patent Law

Your ideas and innovations deserve protection. Our firm handles nearly every aspect of protecting intellectual property as well as advising clients on business matters associated with their new market innovation or product. The scientific, legal and business background of our staff gives our firm the unique ability to evaluate an invention’s patentability, marketability, and value as well as assist inventors with license agreements, business formation, and investor placement negotiations. Our firm has managed and marketed large patent portfolios and coordinated joint management of intellectual property with research institutions such as NIH, ORNL, USDA, and state universities.

Tennessee Patent Law has years of experience acting as local counsel and assisting out of state law firms successfully litigate several patent infringement claims in Tennessee. We have also served as lead counsel in patent infringement litigation in both Tennessee lawsuits and out of state lawsuits. If you or your clients are enforcing intellectual property rights, we can help.

Our Services

Our firm has provided local counsel numerous times for out-of-state firms and attorneys in both Tennessee state and federal cases. Our experience in complex areas of law and our knowledge of local court procedures leaves us uniquely qualified to assist out-of-state lawyers in what could be unfamiliar territory. Should you or your firm’s clients find themselves involved in Tennessee litigation, our firm welcomes the opportunity to assist as local counsel. Our firm can work in a supporting role as co-counsel with out-of-state attorneys, or can serve as lead counsel, following instructions of out-of-state law firms. Contact us today if you have a Tennessee local counsel case to discuss.

Local Counsel

Our firm has provided local counsel numerous times for out-of-state firms and attorneys in both Tennessee state and federal cases. Our experience in complex areas of law and our knowledge of local court procedures leaves us uniquely qualified to assist out-of-state lawyers in what could be unfamiliar territory. Should you or your firm’s clients find themselves involved in Tennessee litigation, our firm welcomes the opportunity to assist as local counsel. Our firm can work in a supporting role as co-counsel with out-of-state attorneys, or can serve as lead counsel, following instructions of out-of-state law firms. Contact us today if you have a Tennessee local counsel case to discuss.
Enforcing patent rights requires in-depth knowledge of patent litigation procedures and specialized rules of court. Our firm has practiced at all levels of state and federal courts. Our extensive work in patent drafting, prosecution, licensing, and valuation, gives us an exceptional ability to litigate patent infringement disputes. Litigation can be a complex and lengthy process. Make sure you have a firm on your side who is efficient and effective.

Patent Litigation

Enforcing patent rights requires in-depth knowledge of patent litigation procedures and specialized rules of court. Our firm has practiced at all levels of state and federal courts. Our extensive work in patent drafting, prosecution, licensing, and valuation, gives us an exceptional ability to litigate patent infringement disputes. Litigation can be a complex and lengthy process. Make sure you have a firm on your side who is efficient and effective.
Our firm represents clients from around the world to the United States Patent Office. If you are a foreign filer for a US Patent, our firm can help you navigate the patent application and prosecution process.

Foreign Applicants for United States Patents

Our firm represents clients from around the world to the United States Patent Office. If you are a foreign filer for a US Patent, our firm can help you navigate the patent application and prosecution process.
Our firm has negotiated and drafted hundreds of license agreements and other contracts related to patent rights. Our experience includes multi-national pharmaceutical license agreements, capital investor placements, clinical trial research agreements, and simple one-page confidentiality agreements. We can help your business negotiate and draft contracts with the goal to minimize risk exposure and maximize business opportunities. Don’t let the legal process slow your business down. Our firm has built a reputation of helping business get done. We will point out risks, explain the size and probability of such risks, and then help the client make a legally informed decision. We will help you and your licensing partners get to “yes” on mutually helpful contract terms.

Licensing

Our firm has negotiated and drafted hundreds of license agreements and other contracts related to patent rights. Our experience includes multi-national pharmaceutical license agreements, capital investor placements, clinical trial research agreements, and simple one-page confidentiality agreements. We can help your business negotiate and draft contracts with the goal to minimize risk exposure and maximize business opportunities. Don’t let the legal process slow your business down. Our firm has built a reputation of helping business get done. We will point out risks, explain the size and probability of such risks, and then help the client make a legally informed decision. We will help you and your licensing partners get to “yes” on mutually helpful contract terms.
Individual inventors often don’t know where to start. If you have a great idea but don’t know where to start, please give us a call at (865) 660-4321. Our firm has worked with sole inventors, institutional researcher groups, and everything in between. A little over six years ago the United States adopted new rules for patent applications. If you have an idea, but don’t get a patent application filed, another inventor can get a patent on your idea, even if you invented the technology much earlier. The first inventor to file an application now has priority over all other inventors, regardless of how long other inventors may have been working on that technology. So, file first! If you don’t know whether your idea is already patented, or available to the public, we can help you find out. Part of the patent application process involves searching for similar inventions. Our firm performs this prior art search as an early step in the preparation of patent applications. This minimizes the cost and time inventors must spend in the event your idea is already publicly available. In your initial consultation our firm will help inventors understand the patent application process, explain the rights an issued patent grants, and advise about how to defend those rights after the patent is issued by the Patent Office.

Inventor Help

Individual inventors often don’t know where to start. If you have a great idea but don’t know where to start, please give us a call at (865) 660-4321. Our firm has worked with sole inventors, institutional researcher groups, and everything in between. A little over six years ago the United States adopted new rules for patent applications. If you have an idea, but don’t get a patent application filed, another inventor can get a patent on your idea, even if you invented the technology much earlier. The first inventor to file an application now has priority over all other inventors, regardless of how long other inventors may have been working on that technology. So, file first! If you don’t know whether your idea is already patented, or available to the public, we can help you find out. Part of the patent application process involves searching for similar inventions. Our firm performs this prior art search as an early step in the preparation of patent applications. This minimizes the cost and time inventors must spend in the event your idea is already publicly available. In your initial consultation our firm will help inventors understand the patent application process, explain the rights an issued patent grants, and advise about how to defend those rights after the patent is issued by the Patent Office.
Patent application drafting is often the first step in protecting your invention. If you have an idea, we can help you decide if your idea is patentable. Our firm will explain the patent application process. More importantly, we will explain how to enforce your patent rights once the Patent Office has issued a patent. Because we have experience litigating patent lawsuits, we are better qualified to draft patent applications in a way that will make successful enforcement of issued patents much more likely. Skill of the attorney drafting a patent application can greatly help, or greatly hurt, an inventor’s ability to enforce patent rights after the patent office issues a patent. Poor patent drafting leads to patent rights that may exist, but are very difficult to enforce. Our firm both litigates patent disputes, and drafts patent applications. This dual role leaves us in a better position to help you with the entire process.

Patent Applications

Patent application drafting is often the first step in protecting your invention. If you have an idea, we can help you decide if your idea is patentable. Our firm will explain the patent application process. More importantly, we will explain how to enforce your patent rights once the Patent Office has issued a patent. Because we have experience litigating patent lawsuits, we are better qualified to draft patent applications in a way that will make successful enforcement of issued patents much more likely. Skill of the attorney drafting a patent application can greatly help, or greatly hurt, an inventor’s ability to enforce patent rights after the patent office issues a patent. Poor patent drafting leads to patent rights that may exist, but are very difficult to enforce. Our firm both litigates patent disputes, and drafts patent applications. This dual role leaves us in a better position to help you with the entire process.

Patent News

foreign-patent-apps

Foreign Applicants for United States Patents – What You Should Know

Any inventor, of any nationality, is welcome to apply for a patent with the United States Patent Office and the patent applicant may be represented by any patent attorney who is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If you are a potential foreign applicant to the USPTO, here are a few things you should know.

idea-guy-1

Patent Application Process for the First-Time Inventor

Many first-time inventors are not aware that obtaining a patent is an adversarial process. As a result, they are surprised when their patent application is initially rejected by the Patent Office. This has led many first-time inventors to give up on their patent application.

Patents Concept on File Label.

Benefits of Applying For a Patent

Patents grant inventors the right to use, sell, manufacture, distribute, import, and export a new invention for a fixed period of time. In other words, the patent legally prevents others from using, selling, manufacturing, distributing, importing, or exporting the patented invention. These rights can be enforced by a court if the patent holder learns of any infringement of their patent.

Tennessee’s Punitive Damages Cap Declared Unconstitutional

T.C.A. § 29-39-104, a Tennessee state statute which caps punitive damages at 2x awarded compensatory damages, or $500,000, whichever is greater, was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Friday. In the opinion, Judge Eric Clay says, “On cross-appeal, plaintiff argues that the statutory punitive damages cap, T.C.A. § […]

sawhorse

Wysong Patents Novel Wooden Sawhorse

“Strong, lightweight, folding wooden sawhorse” patent issues for inventor Harvey Wysong. AbstractA portable, lightweight, folding, wooden, sawhorse which utilizes precision wood joinery, wood screws, and glue to greatly increase vertical strength, lateral strength, and the rigidity of the sawhorse which significantly exceeds the vertical strength, lateral strength, and rigidity of larger, heavier sawhorses. Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160176040A1 

command glove

Inventor Brandon Hardin: 40 Under 40

Inventor Brandon Hardin, President of Joyce Development, was featured recently in a KnoxNews article on his win of the Knoxville Area Urban League’s Paradigm Challenge. Hardin won the contest’s technology category, receiving a $10,000 prize which will help him develop a production-ready prototype for his command glove invention. Read more at https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2018/01/03/40-under-40-brandon-hardin-33-president-joyce-development/931410001/

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