California Patent Attorney

If you’re looking for a Patent Attorney in California, we can help. Our California Patent Attorneys specialize in providing Patent Searching, Patent Preparation, Patent Prosecution, Patent Licensing, Trademark Applications, and Copyright Registrations for inventors, entrepreneurs, and small companies needing a Patent Attorney in California. Call us for a Free Consultation before making any decisions that could affect your Intellectual Property protection.

Extensive and Advanced Technical Skills

Our California Patent Attorneys have extensive and advanced technical backgrounds which enable us to work with world-class engineers, scientists, doctors, and other technical professionals on even the most complex technologies. We speak with inventors in their own language, putting them at ease and saving time, while working to prepare effective Patent Applications.

Business Experience Applied to Your Patent Strategy

We make the effort to understand your business objectives so that our services effectively help you to reach your goals. We educate our clients regarding all available options, which enables our clients to make the best decisions for success. When preparing your Patent Application, our California Patent Attorneys apply sales writing techniques to create a document you can use to attract investors and negotiate licensing deals.

Big Firm Expertise Available on a Small Company Budget

We serve the entire State of California, and our clients receive high-quality patent services and representation at a reasonable cost. Without the overhead of expensive downtown office space, our Patent Attorneys in California can provide senior-level, personal service for those smaller clients that larger California Patent Law Firms neglect.

Do I Need a Local California Patent Attorney?

You Need the Right Patent Attorney:
One That Focuses on Inventors, Start-Ups, and Small Businesses

Most local Patent Attorneys in California focus on serving large corporations that provide a stream of patent work year after year. They are not enthusiastic about working with individual inventors and entrepreneurs with only one invention. Thus, individuals and small companies are usually passed off to an inexperienced junior Patent Attorney in the Firm with inadequate training and minimal oversight.

As rare as Patent Attorneys are, even fewer California Patent Attorneys focus on smaller clients, and therefore they are almost never found locally. That’s why Patent Law Firms with an entrepreneurial focus reach out nationally, since there are not enough individual inventors and entrepreneurs in any one local area to support such a highly specialized legal practice for a Patent Attorney in California.

Patent Attorneys are Licensed to Practice Nationally — You’re Not Limited to Only California Patent Attorneys

Patent Law is based on Federal Law, not State Law. Every Patent Attorney is licensed to practice nationally by passing the Patent Bar Exam given by the US Patent & Trademark Office. So, finding a Patent Attorney in California is not necessary.

You Don’t Need a California Patent Attorney — You Need the Right Fit

We Help Clients Get Patents in California

Patent Attorney in California

Orange County

  • Aliso Viejo
  • Anaheim
  • Brea
  • Buena Park
  • Costa Mesa
  • Cypress
  • Dana Point
  • Fountain Valley
  • Fullerton
  • Garden Grove
  • Huntington Beach
  • Irvine
  • La Habra

Orange County

  • La Palma
  • Laguna Beach
  • Laguna Hills
  • Laguna Niguel
  • Laguna Woods
  • Lake Forest
  • Los Alamitos
  • Mission Viejo
  • Newport Beach
  • Orange
  • Placentia
  • Rancho Santa Margarita
  • San Clemente
  • San Juan Capistrano
  • Santa Ana
  • Seal Beach
  • Stanton
  • Tustin
  • Villa Park
  • Westminster
  • Yorba Linda

Silicon Valley

  • Campbell
  • Cupertino
  • Los Altos
  • Los Altos Hills
  • Los Gatos
  • Milpitas
  • Monte Sereno
  • Morgan Hill
  • Mountain View
  • Palo Alto
  • San Jose
  • Santa Clara
  • Saratoga
  • Sunnyvale

Large and Small Cities

  • Los Angelos
  • San Diego
  • San Fransisco
  • Fresno
  • Sacramento
  • Long Beach
  • Oakland
  • Riverside
  • Fontana
  • Santa Rosa
  • Lancaster
  • Salinas
  • Thousand Oaks
  • Concord
  • Victorville
  • Fairfield
  • Redding

Notable Patents from California Inventors

ipod patent illustration filed by a California Patent Attorney

Steve JobsPalo Alto, CA
Co-founder of Apple Computer, with more than 350 patents, including the patent for the revolutionary iPod.

Steve WozniakCupertino, CA
The other co-founder of Apple Computer, holding the patent for the original microcomputer.

videotape patent drawing filed by a Patent Attorney in California

Charles P. GinsburgLos Altos, CA
Received the patent for the first practical videotape recorder. In 1956, CBS became the first network to employ videotape recording technology.

Theodore Harold MaimanLos Angeles, CA
Patented the first operable laser.

Paul TerasakiLos Angeles, CA
Patented a tissue-typing test that became the standard for matching potential organ donors with recipients.

virtual sports line patent figure filed by a California Patent Attorney

Stan HoneyPalo Alto, CA
Issued the patent for the Virtual Yellow 1st & Ten® line. The superimposed yellow line is one of the most important developments in sports broadcast technology.

Frank W EppersonOakland, CA
At the age of 11, Frank invented the first ice lollipop, and later received the patent for the iconic Popsicle.

California Patent Stats

#1 State for Most Issued Patents

As the state with the largest population, in addition to being home to technology center Silicon Valley, it’s no surprise that California produces more patents each year than any other state. In 2015, 28% of all U.S. patents were issued to California inventors. That means California patent attorneys are in high demand.

#1, #3, and #6 Universities for Most Issued Patents

The University of California has held the #1 spot for the most issued U.S. patents ever since NAI/IPO first began ranking the top 100 global universities in 2012.

For the 2018 ranking of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents, Stanford University ranked #3 for issued U.S. patents and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) ranked #6 for issued U.S. patents.

Silicon Valley Produces Half of All California Patents

With Silicon Valley producing almost half of all California patents, and over ten percent of all patents nationwide, it’s no wonder the U.S. Patent Office chose to open a satellite office in San Jose, CA for local California Patent Attorneys.

Hollywood Started as an Escape from Edison’s Patent Monopoly on Movie Making

Edison joined forces with other motion picture patent-holders to form the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC), essentially a monopoly of patent-holders. California became a refuge for filmmakers seeking to escape the oppressive MPPC monopoly on the East Coast, with the result that Hollywood ended up as the center of the movie business.

You Don’t Need a Local California Patent Attorney.
We Specialize in Clients Like You!

Contact Us for Your Free Initial Phone Consultation

We make the effort to understand your business objectives so that our service effectively helps you reach your goals. We offer an informative free initial telephone consultation. All consultations with an attorney regarding your technical ideas and legal matters are confidential, whether you choose to hire the firm or not.

WHAT OUR CALIFORNIA CLIENTS ARE SAYING

  • I now have a Registered Trademark, and my business is thriving.

    Russ at Russ Weinzimmer & Associates, PC and his staff are a true top notch organization! When I first called Russ, I seriously had no idea where to start to establish a Trademark. He put me at ease from the first moment of our discussion, and jumped right in to educate me on the process. I was off and running. His Paralegal Lori kept me informed every step of the way. I had no doubt that I was in good hands. Fast forward … I now have a Registered Trademark, and my business is thriving. I cannot thank Russ enough for his hard work and perseverance. Russ is a true professional, and a real inspiration to everything good in this world.

    Rob Merrick

  • He would work day and night with me one on one and walked me through the process.

    Working with Russ on my project was great. I have never tried to get something patented before. He would work day and night with me one on one and walked me through the process. I am now patent pending. The man never sleeps!

    Jason Adams

  • We absolutely love the commercialization package that we obtained from Mr. Carlen.

    We absolutely love the commercialization package that we obtained from Mr. Carlen. Our website looks great and the assessment really clarifies our place in the market and the best ways of moving ahead. The commercialization package is the next logical step for inventors who are serious about bringing their innovations to market!

    Melissa Andrews & Theresa Hernandez

  • I began with an idea and a set of sketches. This idea that I had is now my company where I work full time.

    I began with an idea and a set of sketches. I had no idea what I was doing. I needed help. I found Russ Weinzimmer on the internet and gave him a call. He was in New Hampshire, I was in California. I had bad experiences in the past working remotely with people so I was hesitant to work with him. Once I spoke to him on the phone, I knew he was someone whom I could count on.

    Russ really took the time to explain to me the whole patent process and where I needed to be. He did it in such a way that I could plainly understand the process and the steps involved. He took the time to really understand my product and the reasons for it’s importance, both to me and to the end consumer. I felt that it was very rare for a patent attorney to invest so much time into a client before even discussing rates or cost.

    I ended up filing 3 initial patents with Russ. As we spoke we determined that we should do multiple patents to better protect my product. This made perfect sense to me as other variants could compete with my product. If we patented them all, I would be better protected. Once the patents were filed I went on to production of my product. Later on that year I filed a fourth patent documenting the changes made during the production stages of my product. This fourth patent was filed very quickly for me as my product was scheduled to be released to market. He and his associate Bob worked day and night to get the patent filed for me in time.

    I will say one thing, I was not the easiest client for Russ. This was the start of a new business for me, I had everything on the line. Because of this my nerves often got the best of me, and I would call Russ, concerned about one thing or another. Russ always had time for me. We would communicate at all hours of the day. One day he was on a walk and took the time to talk to me for a good 45 minutes. He really wants to help, and he makes sure his clients are all protected and at ease with the process.

    This idea that I had is now my company where I work full time. ... Read More

    Thank you Russ for helping me on my Journey.

    David Maga

  • I frequently gave Mike our most difficult challenges, and he always exceeded my expectations.

    During his 17-year career at Cognex, Mike made many valuable contributions. Most recently, in his role as Vice President of Cognex Legal Department, Mike led the team of both internal staff and external law firms that successfully carried out the company’s litigation strategy to both protect our intellectual property and, as in our landmark case against Lemelson, to ensure that our customers would be able to purchase our products free from the threat of suits from patent trolls. But, it was his contributions during Cognex’s formative years that I value the most. During that time, he wore many hats and made significant contributions in areas ranging from finding and appointing distributors in Asia to the drafting and negotiating of numerous complex customer, supplier and partnership agreements. ... Read More I frequently gave Mike our most difficult challenges, and he always exceeded my expectations in getting the job done on time and on… and sometimes under… budget! Mike has a very sharp business mind. I would often involve him in business discussions even outside of his area of expertise because I knew that he would give me very thoughtful, analytic and unbiased input. He might not always tell you what you want to hear… and THAT is one of his most valuable strengths. Mike is also tenacious… of all the hundreds of people at my company, he best personifies one of our core values: Perseverance. He just doesn’t stop until the job gets done. Finally, Mike is a trusted advisor whose loyalty to the company is without question.

    Dr. Robert Shillman

  • Anyone looking for a Patent Attorney who is efficient, knowledgeable, kind and whose fees are reasonable, call Russ Weinzimmer!

    Because of Russ Weinzimmer, I have recently been issued a Notice of Allowance for a patent on my invention - the Chlorine Genie, a chlorine generator for sanitizing water. It has been quite an experience! My company is in California. I began the patent work two different times with California Patent Attorneys. Both were woefully inadequate in answering my calls or following up with our discussions and moving ahead with the patent work.

    When I decided to find another Patent Attorney, my wife decided she should go to the internet and find someone who was highly recommended by people who had actually had experience with the attorney. This proved invaluable to us! ... Read More She found Russ Weinzimmer (Strategic Patent Law). I was a little uneasy about working with someone who could not come to my office, see my invention, and talk about the strategy for obtaining a patent, but my wife felt we should go ahead and call Russ.

    Even though we have never met Russ "eyeball to eyeball" he treated us with respect and encouragement from the very first telephone conversation. Russ answered my calls and emails in a timely manner. He worked closely with me in educating me as to the things I needed to do in order to give him the information he needed. We accomplished all the patent work by email and telephone and I felt I was getting his best efforts at all times.

    His assistant, Mary, has also been wonderful in relaying information and assisting me in any way needed. She had been efficient and kind in her dealings with me.

    I would encourage anyone looking for a Patent Attorney who is efficient, knowledgeable, kind and whose fees are reasonable to call Russ Weinzimmer! I am thrilled with the Notice of Allowance I have received from the Patent Office and will continue my relationship with Russ on all my future Patent Work.

    Daniel M. Tucker

  • Our previous lawyer messed up our patent case. Russ corrected their mistake and got my patent granted.

    Russ is a great lawyer. He listened, didn't rush, explained things through thoroughly and made sure I understood all the legal jargon. He would even take my calls at pretty much any hour. It's nice to have a lawyer that you feel is really on your side, not just there to make money.

    Our previous lawyer messed up our patent case by submitting the application images wrong. Then tried charging us to fix his mistake. I immediately looked for a new lawyer and my first call was Russ. He had my back and was able to even prove that my previous lawyer messed up. He corrected their mistake and got my patent granted.

    Will definitely use him for my future intellectual property filings!

    Jasmine Arthur

  • Without Russ's help, I never would have challenged USPTO's findings and would have missed out on the opportunity to get a patent for my invention.

    I want to thank you for the advice you gave me during our talk back in May. The USPTO had rejected all of my claims as being both obvious and anticipated by a prior invention. I was absolutely convinced that USPTO was right and that my invention was exactly the same as the prior invention. You advised me to carefully review the two inventions and not focus on their similarities but, instead, focus on their differences. I did as you advised and found several small differences, one of which I thought was significant. Based on that small but significant difference, I prepared a response to USPTO. Today I received a Notice of Allowance. Without your help, I never would have challenged USPTO's findings and would have missed out on the opportunity to get a patent for my invention. I can't thank you enough.

    Hector Hernandez

  • They exceeded my HIGHEST expectations by a factor of four and made me think, “Russ never sleeps.”

    Stop searching for a patent attorney and start strategizing your intellectual property protection with Russ Weinzimmer & Associates P.C..

    What a relief in finding a competent attorney who not only “gets it” and is personally available but who will also add value to projects both large and small. In this day and age your product needs the ‘Strategic Patent Law’ advantage.

    Russ’ analytical and ‘hands on’ approach helped me to realize what I had actually invented! Russ deconstructed our sustainable, mobile shelter and showed me that we had seven novel, patentable features within our ‘base design.’ In doing so, broader market protection was realized while numerous licensing and revenue streams were created. ... Read More

    Can you imagine a 5-hour conference call with your patent attorney? This is exactly what I experienced during the course of working with Russ and his team of professionals. They exceeded my HIGHEST expectations by a factor of four and made me think, “Russ never sleeps.”

    If you are serious about your product development and protection and tapping into its full market potential; look no further than Russ Weinzimmer & Associates P.C..

    Micah Andretich

ARTICLES

Trademark a Name AND a Logo for Your Business

Trademark a Name AND a Logo for Your Business

Failing to trademark a name and logo leaves your business vulnerable to copycats who could use your logo with a different name.

If another company uses your trademark, either your name or logo, your company can lose sales and reputation. When customers buy from a competitor because they’re confused by the infringement of your trademark, you lose sales that should have been yours. And bad knockoffs using your trademark can ruin your reputation in the marketplace if customers incorrectly associate their bad experience with your company.

For trademarks, you need to separately protect all your branding: separately trademark a name and logo, as well as any slogans or catch-phrases.

Why You Need a Good Professional Patent Search

Why You Need a Good Professional Patent Search

Only new inventions can be patented. Before spending money on a patent application, an effective patent search must be performed to see if your invention already exists. Even if the search does not find your invention exactly, it is important to find the most similar prior art which effectively forms a fence around your invention in idea space. After your patent issues, all of the prior art cited to the Examiner acts as a shield against invalidating your patent in the future.

Did Video Rental Stores Pay Licensing Fees?

Did Video Rental Stores Pay Licensing Fees?

Remember the days of going to your local video store and picking out movies to rent that weekend? Remember getting that red Netflix envelope in the mail?

It might surprise you to know that video rental companies did not have to pay for the rights to rent those movies. They simply bought the same videotapes and DVDs that the general public could buy, and then used the “First Sale Doctrine” from Copyright Law to rent them out. Anyone could buy a bunch of movies and open a video rental store, and those mom & pop shops flourished before big chains put them out of business.

Critical Patent Attorney Shortage Will Make it Harder to Find One

Critical Patent Attorney Shortage Will Make it Harder to Find One

The number of Patent Attorneys is rapidly declining, at the same time as demand for patents is rising. From 2008 to 2018, the number of new Patent Attorneys fell by 50%. From 2009 to 2015, the number of Patent Applications increased by 30% and the number of issued US Patents increased 70%.

Patent Attorneys account for more than 15% of law firm job openings while representing less than 2% of all lawyers in the U.S. As more of the already dwindling supply of Patent Attorneys are hired by big law firms and by large corporations and universities as in-house Patent Attorneys, there are fewer and fewer available to work with individual inventors and small companies.

Class Action Lawsuit Alleges InventHelp Patent Searches are Purposefully Incomplete

Class Action Lawsuit Alleges InventHelp Patent Searches are Purposefully Incomplete

A Pennsylvania class action lawsuit alleges that InventHelp made false representations that consumer ideas were eligible for patents and misled them into purchasing services agreements.

The lawsuit claims that InventHelp’s purposefully incomplete patent searches and basic information package reports are part of InventHelp’s ploy to convince consumers that their inventions are marketable and/or patentable, and con them into signing contracts for more expensive Submission Services. The “Preliminary Patentability Opinions” claim that customers’ proposed inventions are eligible to receive patents, when, in fact, there often already exist “dead ringer” patents that would prevent these inventions from receiving patents.

STRATEGIC PATENT LAW

RUSS WEINZIMMER & ASSOCIATES, PC

Free Phone Consultation
(800) 621-3654