Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyers
The Hughes Law Firm
Our Firm focuses on providing quality, timely and cost-effective service where we are focused primarily on patent and trademark law and further licensing of intellectual property. Because we are focused in a niche area of the law and more particularly a niche area of intellectual property law, we can provide very effective high-quality service to clients.
Our broad experience in the business aspects of Intellectual Property law includes licensing, joint ventures in developing and exploiting technology and structuring other business relationships. In most instances, this requires close coordination with the client’s general legal counsel. We also maintain contacts with legal specialists in various specialized areas of law to find solutions for some of the more obscure legal problems.
A substantial part of the practice includes all aspects of trademark law, U.S. and foreign. The technical areas of our practice include the broad range of mechanical inventions, electrical and electrical magnetic related inventions, industrial processes, etc., ranging from complex high tech systems to very simple and often interesting gadgets and gismos.
As skilled Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyers, we serve clients with intellectual property needs in the following areas:
The Firm's founder, Bob Hughes, worked for six years on The Boeing Company patent staff, where he administered the patent review committee and became familiar with virtually every technology in the aerospace industry. Since leaving Boeing, he has continued as outside counsel for Boeing in such areas as aerodynamics, structures, avionics, manufacturing processes, materials technology, jet engine (subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic), and subsystems of modern aircraft.
In addition, he has done patent work for space vehicles and missiles involving propulsion, guidance and stabilizing systems, cryogenic fluids, waste disposal, solar energy, and other technological fields. He has also handled many electronics projects involving audio amplifiers, speakers, FM and AM systems, electrical power supplies, preamplifiers, and audio enhancement and other devices. He also has experience in pulp and paper technology, pollution control, processing natural resources, etc.
Bob also has extensive experience in foreign patent and trademark practice, particularly in European countries and Japan. He has traveled to both Japan and Europe to argue cases before the Japanese and European Patent Offices and he has successfully argued a case before the Board of Appeals of the Japanese Patent Office.
Solid Legal Guidance for Startups:
Startup companies typically face a great deal of risk and uncertainty as they attempt to promote and establish sales of their goods and services. Starting a business can be a daunting task, so we try to mitigate the stress and lower the barriers of entry to the marketplace as we secure your intellectual property. Often, a wide array of services is needed in a startup, such as developing trade names and developing protocols for protection of trade secrets, and of course potential patent protection.
Small businesses often find themselves in a position where the most valuable asset within their company is their intellectual property. With labor being outsourced overseas, intellectual property often becomes a key strategic asset, even for companies who perhaps traditionally would not focus on such areas.
Because we are a boutique firm focusing heavily on patent and trademark prosecution, we focus our efforts and continuing legal education extensively on the realm of drafting patents that provide broad protection, as well as procuring and maintaining trademarks.
Adam Fulton & Thirsty Duck, Inc.
Adam Fulton was a civil engineer working for the Port of Bellingham when he first identified an issue with regard to drainage ponds. Drainage ponds are generally positioned adjacent to building site locations to allow for runoff and proper water management. Of course, the size of these ponds is based upon the amount of expected water flow and the allowed amount of water discharge from the pond.
Gary Graham & Shuttle Systems, Inc.
Gary Graham was an engineer working for Boeing in aerospace design. Following his employment at Boeing, Mr. Graham saw a need for enhanced exercise equipment ranging from rehabilitation to increasing explosiveness in advanced athletes.
John Poppema & Screenline Innovations
John Poppema was a successful businessman and inventor in the window industry. John saw a need for an improved screen to be fitted to doorways and windows, which further can be installed by a home user. John formed Screenline Innovations in Langley, British Columbia (www.retractaway.com) and acquired additional patent protection on his concept.
If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyer, call The Hughes Law Firm today at 866-822-0241, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.
Our broad experience in the business aspects of Intellectual Property law includes licensing, joint ventures in developing and exploiting technology and structuring other business relationships. In most instances, this requires close coordination with the client’s general legal counsel. We also maintain contacts with legal specialists in various specialized areas of law to find solutions for some of the more obscure legal problems.
A substantial part of the practice includes all aspects of trademark law, U.S. and foreign. The technical areas of our practice include the broad range of mechanical inventions, electrical and electrical magnetic related inventions, industrial processes, etc., ranging from complex high tech systems to very simple and often interesting gadgets and gismos.
As skilled Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyers, we serve clients with intellectual property needs in the following areas:
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyright
- Trade Secrets
- Patent Searching
- Patent Drafting and Prosecution
- Trademark Searching and Filing
- Infringement Analysis and Opinions
- Licensing of Intellectual Property
- Drafting and Reviewing License Agreements
The Firm's founder, Bob Hughes, worked for six years on The Boeing Company patent staff, where he administered the patent review committee and became familiar with virtually every technology in the aerospace industry. Since leaving Boeing, he has continued as outside counsel for Boeing in such areas as aerodynamics, structures, avionics, manufacturing processes, materials technology, jet engine (subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic), and subsystems of modern aircraft.
In addition, he has done patent work for space vehicles and missiles involving propulsion, guidance and stabilizing systems, cryogenic fluids, waste disposal, solar energy, and other technological fields. He has also handled many electronics projects involving audio amplifiers, speakers, FM and AM systems, electrical power supplies, preamplifiers, and audio enhancement and other devices. He also has experience in pulp and paper technology, pollution control, processing natural resources, etc.
Bob also has extensive experience in foreign patent and trademark practice, particularly in European countries and Japan. He has traveled to both Japan and Europe to argue cases before the Japanese and European Patent Offices and he has successfully argued a case before the Board of Appeals of the Japanese Patent Office.
Solid Legal Guidance for Startups:
Startup companies typically face a great deal of risk and uncertainty as they attempt to promote and establish sales of their goods and services. Starting a business can be a daunting task, so we try to mitigate the stress and lower the barriers of entry to the marketplace as we secure your intellectual property. Often, a wide array of services is needed in a startup, such as developing trade names and developing protocols for protection of trade secrets, and of course potential patent protection.
Small businesses often find themselves in a position where the most valuable asset within their company is their intellectual property. With labor being outsourced overseas, intellectual property often becomes a key strategic asset, even for companies who perhaps traditionally would not focus on such areas.
Because we are a boutique firm focusing heavily on patent and trademark prosecution, we focus our efforts and continuing legal education extensively on the realm of drafting patents that provide broad protection, as well as procuring and maintaining trademarks.
Case Studies
Adam Fulton & Thirsty Duck, Inc.
Adam Fulton was a civil engineer working for the Port of Bellingham when he first identified an issue with regard to drainage ponds. Drainage ponds are generally positioned adjacent to building site locations to allow for runoff and proper water management. Of course, the size of these ponds is based upon the amount of expected water flow and the allowed amount of water discharge from the pond.
Gary Graham & Shuttle Systems, Inc.
Gary Graham was an engineer working for Boeing in aerospace design. Following his employment at Boeing, Mr. Graham saw a need for enhanced exercise equipment ranging from rehabilitation to increasing explosiveness in advanced athletes.
John Poppema & Screenline Innovations
John Poppema was a successful businessman and inventor in the window industry. John saw a need for an improved screen to be fitted to doorways and windows, which further can be installed by a home user. John formed Screenline Innovations in Langley, British Columbia (www.retractaway.com) and acquired additional patent protection on his concept.
If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyer, call The Hughes Law Firm today at 866-822-0241, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.
Practice Areas and Legal Definitions
Intellectual property (IP) law is essentially the law of ideas. In general, intellectual property law pertains to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. It is not uncommon for today’s businesses to have an array of intellectual property and intangible assets.
Patents:
A patent granted to an inventor gives the inventor the right to stop others from making, using or selling the patented invention for a period of 20 years from the filing date. In order to be awarded a patent, the invention or idea must be new, and non-obvious in light of past inventions and items sold in commerce — basically anything similar known before your invention. This body of knowledge created before your invention is referred to as “prior art.”
Patentable subject matter includes processes, business methods, machines, or composition of matters. In today’s business climate, it is not unusual for many small businesses to have a patent portfolio. The scope of material that is now patentable (such as software) opens up new doors for obtaining a position of exclusivity for your business.
The first step in filing a patent is to perform a search and find out if the idea or invention already exists as prior art. This search is a prudent step to determining if there is any room for patent protection. There are numerous prior art references in the patent literature which have never seen the light of day commercially, but are present as an obstacle for obtaining patent protection.
If the search results show that there is room for meaningful patent protection, the next step is the proper preparation of a patent application. After filing the application, the concept is considered “Patent Pending,” during which a Patent Examiner of the Patent and Trademark Office reviews your application to determine its patentability. There are many arguments to prove the concept in the patent application is “non-obvious” in light of the prior art.
Trademarks:
A trademark (often called simply a “mark”) is a word, name, symbol, slogan, sound or color used to distinguish the source of goods and services between marks. There is now a “set lifetime” for a trademark, meaning a trademark can maintain its Federal Registration as long as it is being used.
A trademark can be a valuable asset for a company to protect the name of a product line, or even the underlying name of the company itself. Often a search is initially conducted to determine if any other potential marks are confusingly similar with your prospective mark. A mark can potentially be Federally Registered if there is no likelihood of confusion with any other marks.
There are various first-phase issues with trademarks, which can be identified during an initial analysis meeting.
Copyrights:
A copyright is the legal protection automatically granted to creations when such creations are reduced to a tangible medium of authors, musicians, writers, or artists. A copyright is awarded for the life of the creator plus 70 years for works created after 1978. Motion pictures, sound recordings, musical compositions, literary works being prepared for publication in book form, computer programs (including video games), and advertising or marketing photographs are all examples of what can be copyrighted.
Copyrights can often be used in conjunction with patents and trademarks to provide a position of exclusivity for creative works.
Trade Secrets:
A trade secret is legal protection given to a company to protect sensitive data, processes, or general business information. In order to obtain protection of the trade secret law, information must be capable of being a secret and have commercial value, and your business should take reasonable steps to maintain its secrecy.
There is no formal registration process for a trade secret. However, rights are afforded to small businesses in the event their trade secret is misappropriated in some fashion. One common means of having trade secrets compromised is the loss of a key employee.
At The Hughes Law Firm, we provide guidelines to preserve our clients’ trade secrets. We can even save you money by determining if trade secret protection is more appropriate — and cost effective — than a patent.
If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyer, call The Hughes Law Firm today at 866-822-0241, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.
Professional Profiles
If you or someone you know needs the assistance of an experienced Bellingham Washington Intellectual Property Lawyer, call The Hughes Law Firm today at 866-822-0241, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.
ADDRESS OF THE FIRM:
The Hughes Law Firm
4164 Meridian Street, Suite 302
Bellingham, WA 98226
Telephone: 866-822-0241
Fax: 360-671-2489
MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:
Robert Bruce Hughes
EDUCATION:
- B.S., Civil Engineering, Seattle University
- J.D., University of Washington
- Washington
Dwayne Rogge
EDUCATION:
- B.S., Education, University of Idaho
- Passed the Federal Patent Exam which allows the limited practice of law related to patents
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Additional Questions or need further information?
Michael Hughes
The Hughes Law Firm
4164 Meridian Street, Suite 302
Bellingham, WA 98226
Phone: 866-822-0241
Fax: 360-671-2489
