Solutions
Patent Portfolio Strategies
Innovation is integral to every successful business. However, innovation alone is not enough. A company's core value lies in its ability to identify, protect, and commercialize innovation.
An IP development plan provides a strategic approach to establishing innovative value. Solid plans consider market trends, industry and key competitor portfolios, risk analysis, and client business objectives.
Deciding which innovations to protect and through which protection – patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, contract, or a mix of these – requires legal, technical, and business expertise.
At Lee & Hayes, we work closely with clients to develop and commercialize integrated, world-class IP portfolios.
Patent Portfolio Development
Proper IP protection captures innovation and creativity and advances it into a revenue-generating asset. That process begins with strategic patent preparation and prosecution.
Skillfully crafted and expertly handled patent applications require the combined expertise of engineers, scientists, and legal professionals. We have that.
From initial invention disclosure to preparation, filing and prosecution with the patent office to securing a patent, everything is done by design. As desired, reexamination of patents can also be part of the mix.
Patents are positioned, pursued, and administered as a piece of something much bigger. And with much greater value.
Preparation and prosecution goes much deeper than just securing a patent. It is a critical building block that transforms innovation into an asset.
IP Strategy
A comprehensive IP strategy supports business goals. It identifies risks earlier and
creates business opportunities. Well formed IP assets contribute significantly to a
company’s value.
With a focus on combined business and legal strategies, Lee & Hayes helps ensure that
your company can operate freely in target markets, while protecting its own market position.
Larger companies often require assistance evaluating and neutralizing IP threats by
developing an IP licensing partnership program. Smaller companies benefit from a safe harbor
for new products. They look for help forging IP-based partnerships to expand markets.
Standards can play a significant role in any company’s comprehensive business IP strategy.
A proper standards strategy can provide significant competitive advantages,
product development advantages and potential licensing opportunities.
Lee & Hayes’ IP counseling team helps both small and large companies meet their
business goals by analyzing patents within the context of the market, evaluating
standards activity and participation and providing strategic focused advice to reduce
or neutralize risk.
IP Conflict Resolution
Despite the best business plans, disputes over IP can arise for any sized company. Resolving IP conflicts requires an intimate understanding of the technology, the market and the players. Lee & Hayes is exceptional in its ability to provide the timely, critical research and analysis needed to develop a strategy to help avoid or diffuse a complex IP conflict.
Global IP Strategies
Strategic international patent portfolios are valuable property. A rapidly expanding global marketplace makes properly protected IP a global asset.
In today's global economy, three-quarters of the world's marketplace lies outside U.S. borders. The next largest markets, Europe and Japan, contribute significantly to the world's GDP. The emerging markets – China, Brazil, Russia, India, and Mexico – provide growth opportunities.
Each country has its own unique IP laws and costs. Procuring global IP coverage requires cost-effective portfolio management. A portfolio management plan must strategically support client goals and perspectives.
Lee & Hayes provides leading global IP expertise. We help clients select appropriate markets, navigate language barriers, and manage country-specific legal issues.
IP Transactions
Creating IP is only the beginning. Reaching the market – consumer or enterprise – invites new decisions.
Product development programs, collaboration agreements, and in-bound and out-bound licensing deals must be considered. Distribution agreements and strategic partnerships require assessment. Marketing, promotions, and sponsorship agreements could be possibilities. Technology licenses, consulting services agreements, and outsourcing deals might need attention.
Successfully handling technology and IP-focused deals demands industry expertise and particular legal know-how. Sectors such as software, e-commerce, mobile commerce, and digital media can be especially complex.
Overwhelmed? We aren't. We help the world's leading technology developers and IP owners evaluate opportunities, craft strategies, and get deals done to accelerate business success.
Emerging Markets
For most businesses, IP portfolios are no longer constrained to local geographical markets. Instead, well-developed IP portfolios are global in scope and design, and involve protection in key emerging markets.
Developing and maximizing IP in emerging markets presents special challenges. It requires experience and the building of local relationships. It involves understanding local customs, regulatory processes, and enforcement environment.
In many emerging markets, IP is relatively new and still maturing, especially as a business strategy. Getting started properly makes a world of difference.
Here is where we can help. At Lee & Hayes, we are continually expanding our knowledge base of emerging markets. We develop global IP portfolios with strategic interests in emerging markets. Clients rely on our understanding and relationships to protect innovations in dynamically growing countries like China, India, and Brazil.
Business/Tax/Estate Planning Law
The myriad of legal issues facing any company, large or small, can be wide-ranging and complex. At Lee & Hayes we are committed to providing innovative and strategic solutions for all your business’ legal needs. Whether a publicly-held corporation or a new start-up, we can provide counsel in a vast range of legal areas including:
- Selection, formation, and maintenance of business entities and non-profit organizations
- Best practices in corporate governance for senior management and governing boards
- Commercial real estate transactions
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Asset sales
- Buy/ sell agreements
- Tax counseling
- Employment agreements
- Negotiable instruments and security agreements
- Non-compete, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements
- Structured settlements
- Estate planning, probate, and trusts
Policy
IP is the industry of the future. We understand that in a way that creates greater client success.
Maximizing tomorrow's IP includes navigating the intersection of technology and public policy. Long-term value comes from recognizing the business applications of patents and their broader marketplace impacts.
Our clients are defining technology and industries. By extension, their work pushes the boundaries of public policy.
Advancement frequently outpaces direction. We are an essential advisor and business partner in negotiating regulatory and enforcement considerations.
We esteem teamwork over stardom and firm accomplishments over individual accolades. We endorse a collegial environment where everyone helps to deliver the best for our clients. There is an important symbiotic relationship between individual success and firm success.