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Firm Overview : Why Choose Bay Area IP - Small Entities

Why Choose Bay Area IP?

What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?
What kind of patent firm is best for me?
How is Bay Area IP's fee approach to your advantage?


As experts in patents, our patent prosecution legal practitioners have been very successful in winning valuable patents for our clients. Clients of Bay Area IP always deal directly with our founder, Ariel Bentolila, on all of their patent prosecution legal matters, and are assured personal attention, open and direct communication, and the highest quality patent prosecution legal services, which we have consistently rendered to well over 1000 clients served over our 10+ years of patent prosecution legal practice.  We look forward to adding you to our ever growing ranks of satisfied clients.

An important goal of Bay Area IP is to provide affordable intellectual property rights protection to independent inventors and small to mid-sized businesses.  Our success has been built on providing our clients with affordable, high quality patent prosecution legal services by (i) keeping our overhead low, (ii) utilizing the lanew test technology to manage our clients' matters and (iii) quoting transparent fees that are quoted in advance; i.e., no surprises or “sticker shock”.  Below are some of the reasons why you should choose Bay Area IP for your intellectual property needs.

 

     1. LOCATION

  • Next to USPTO- Patent Research.  One distinguishing aspect of our firm is that we have an office next to the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) and our patent researchers are exclusively Expert former USPTO Patent Examiners doing their work at the US Patent Office in Washington DC. That is the best you can find anywhere.  Read why:
    • In case you are not aware, the absolutely best search system and database available is only located at the USPTO’s very sophisticated EAST system and database in DC, which is exactly the same system that the Patent Examiners use to find the “prior-art” the will base any rejection of your patent upon.  If the Patent Examiner finds prior art they’ll reject your patent, otherwise, you will get your patent.  Patent law firms not located next to the USPTO have to search online (like you can for free), which is well known to be very inefficient and almost never finds the closest prior art that the USPTO will certainly find and cite against you. 
  • Next to USPTO- Winning Patent Allowance.  Also, because we have an office located next to the US Patent Office in Washington DC, we have the advantage of being able to personally meet with the Patent Examiner during examination of your patent, which has far greater success than an impersonal phone conference call that patent law firms outside Wash. D.C. must settle for.
  • In Silicon Valley.  Silicon Valley is the top technology and patent filing region in the world.  Having a high volume office in a Silicon Valley  enables Bay Area IP  to stay at the leading edge of technology and patent prosecution law, which gives us the economy of scale needed to provide you with top quality patent prosecution legal service while keeping our rates very competitive.


     2. AFFORDABLE

  • Electronic Document Management. Most documents are digitally saved, stored and accessed resulting in significant cost savings.
  • Efficient Technology. Extensive usage of the lanew test technology reduces our time handling client matters.
  • Low Overhead. Our offices are located in central, yet low cost locations- we guarantee that you will not be paying sky high prices for the top floor of a Skyscraper and vacation homes in Tahoe.
  • No Overstaffing. We ensure there are no unnecessary individuals working on your case, and we use technology where ever possible to avoid most common high cost overhead items like docketing, CRM, foreign filings, billing, etc.
  • Flat-Fees. For most services, we provide our small entity clients with a flat-fee quote in advance to avoid any unwelcome "surprises."
  • No Nickel and Diming.  For most basic questions relating to an application, you can call or e-mail a  patent prosecution legal professional without fear of receiving a bill.  We also do not bill anything that is not quoted in writing ahead of time and pre-approved.

  

     3. EXPERIENCE

  • Prosecution Experience. For over 10 years, we have been preparing and prosecuting patent applications.
  • 100’s of Successfull Patent Filings. We have successfully filed well over 400 patents for our clients (see Sample Patents).
  • Representation Worldwide. By efficiently using modern technology, we are able to easily represent clients across the United States and internationally before WIPO.

  

     4. QUALITY

  • U.S. Registered Professionals. We only employ patent prosecution legal professionals who are registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Former Patent Examiners.  Our patent researchers are exclusively Expert former USPTO Patent Examiners. We find that this is a decisive advantage in not only getting most patents allowed at the USPTO, but also in providing increase patent strength and lower prosecution cost because we can much more effectively find the closest prior art (i.e., existing patents like your innovation) and legally position your patent application filing to avoid it, and thus avoiding most all of the related allowance problems that many law firms otherwise face.
  • Specialized in Patent Prosecution Law. Bay Area IP focuses on patent counseling, patent preparation, patent prosecution and can also assist in funding and patent licensing.
  • No Outsourcing. All of our patent prosecution legal practitioners are located in the United States with no outsourcing to a foreign country (e.g. India).
  • Direct Communication. Every client communicates directly with one of our patent prosecution legal professionals without interference of a third-party or paralegal.

  

     5. SERVICE

  • Responsive. We pride ourselves on promptly responding to client inquiries whether via telephone, fax, letter or e-mail.
  • Empowerment. We strongly believe in empowering and educating our clients with the information they need to succeed and make important decisions.
  • Independent Inventors & Entrepreneurs. We understand the special needs of independent inventors and start-ups/entrepreneurs.
  • Small to Mid-Sized Businesses. We focus our practice on helping small to mid-sized businesses which have different goals from large corporations.

  

     6. TECHNOLOGY

  • Proprietary Software. We have developed our own Proprietary Docketing management software to help efficiently manage our clients' intellectual property files. Clients can get real-time case/billing status information on our website.
  • Documents Filed Electronically.  Bay Area IP files all documents electronically with the USPTO to ensure timely filings.
  • Participant in e-Office Action Program. Bay Area IP participates in the USPTO's e-Office Action Program ensuring prompt receipt of important documents.
  • E-Communications to Clients. We communicate with our clients via e-mail so they receive our communications and documents fast.
  • Online Forms. Efficient online forms are used with most service requests so you don't have to mail anything to our office.

   

      7. WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT US!

  • You can see many comments and new testimonials from our corporate and individual clients through out the USA and the world- just .


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • You receive customized cost reduction opportunities that reflect the wide diversity of situations and needs that exist for small businesses and individuals.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • The patent protection that we win for you is optimized for actual commercial value.  We do not sacrifice IP strength (cloaked in legal jargon) for speed when high quality is your goal.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • If we like your invention or technology, we will tap into our many funding and marketing connections to determine if 3rd party investment or commercialization opportunities exist.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • Your innovations, business planning and execution are enhanced by our unique combination of multidisciplinary capabilities including IP development, in-house patent searching, protection, strategy, marketing, and deep technology support uniquely enable us to efficiently understand and align the work product to your needs as a whole.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We put our exceptional technical and legal breadth and depth in practical and theoretical knowledge to work for you.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We encourage our you to be involved at each step of the process when you want a " hands="" on"="" approach.<="" li="">


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We continuously analyze the lanew test court decisions affecting future litigation and patent drafting/prosecution, and adjust our


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We are competent to assess your patent, business, and exit strategy goals, and align our work product to optimally satisfy their complex, uncertain, and often conflicting requirements.  Most law firms wear


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • Our strategy is customized for each client's risk/reward tolerance in the context of their budget and current legal trends.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We do what ever it takes to meet deadlines and promised delivery dates.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We provide all the foregoing, and more in a timely and affordable manner.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.


What is different about Bay Area Intellectual Property Group?

Simply put, Bay Area IP's philosophy is to provide top quality service to our clientele at a reasonable cost. We enjoy the luxury of not having to compromise quality for price to be profitable.  Fortunately, our high volume practice, low cost structure, and streamlined process afford Bay Area IP the luxury of spending the time it takes to ensure a happy client and a quality job done. Our patent practice is all about building solid, long-term relationships that efficiently align our ever-growing capabilities to our client's needs. Moreover, the principle of Bay Area IP brings to the firm a unique set of capabilities that is unmatched in IP the industry. Our competitive advantages include the following:

  • Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority- We work harder!
  • We become a key part of your execution team by leveraging our extensive firsthand understanding of the unique IP needs of Individual inventors, small business, law firm, and Fortune 500 companies.
  • We offer extensive services tailored to the special needs of small business and independent inventors.  As a Silicon Valley patent firm, we afford to provide quality service at very competitive rates by leveraging our economies of scale in the technology capital of the world, using modern technology to boost efficiency, and containing overhead. Unlike most patent law firms, you pay mostly for our work and not unnecessary perks and overhead. Our diverse service offering uniquely enables us to efficiently understand and align our work product to your needs as a whole, which services include:

    IP/patent searchpatent application filing & prosecutionIP strategyinvention marketing advice, DIY "Patent Pending", and technology support.

     

    What kind of patent law firm is best for me?

    In the fast paced, opportunistic environment we live in today a patent is, more than ever, the most effective protection against theft of your invention. There are multiple levels of uncertainty throughout the patent acquisition and enforcement process. The value of a patent in many ways depends on how well it holds up in litigation (for infringement/validity) and against the analysis of fellow lawyers in the case of sale or licensing revenue. It is for this reason you do not want to choose a patent law firm based solely on the "lowest bidder," yet because of the significant costs involved in patent acquisition (esp. in building a portfolio) one can not generally afford the more expensive law firms that often invest more attention to elegant décor and perks than increasing a patent's true value. The higher overhead forces artificially high billing rates, which, to stay profitable, forces, even some of the best, patent attorneys to churn out product so fast that many critical errors and oversights are inevitably made. These errors do not usually interfere with getting a patent awarded, but may invalidate or severely reduce the patent's scope in litigation, or permit potential licensees excess maneuvering room to engineer around the patent and avoid paying licensing fees. Given that the strength of a patent can depend on a single errant (three letter) word, a profit-driven "cookie cutter" patent drafting and prosecution practice can be disastrous.  Too many times we receive transfer clients who, even after paying top money at top tier patent law firms, find that they were just another "drop in the bucket" and their patent was written simplistically, the prosecution just "kicks the can endlessly down the road", and the even when the patent is finally issued, the claims were narrowed so much (always with the client out of the loop) that the issued patent had little to no commercial value.

    It is not well known, but many, if not most, patent attorneys (non-partners) only keep about 30% of the hourly rate they are billing you, the rest goes to paying the law firm's overhead and profits. Generally, overhead expenses and patent law firm profits add little, or no, value to a patent. On the contrary, as discussed above, overhead tends to reduce the value of the final product because the patent attorney has many disincentives to giving you a better product. To be profitable, the typical patent attorney will avoid doing anything that requires more time if the client will not readily notice the lack of action. Moreover, the law firm's economic incentive is to avoid reviewing their attorney's work quality unless the client is complaining about it. Thus, the combination of both the attorney and law firm's economic incentives results in the attorney doing the minimal work required to keep their (often unsophisticated) client happy. Unfortunately, the client's patent rights can be compromised, or even lost, because of this intense pressure to "cut corners." To compound the problem, some, if not most, high overhead IP law firms afford to offer lower cost patents to price sensitive clients by having less experienced attorneys actually do the work for the more experienced attorney you thought was doing it for you. For these, and many other reasons, the best value is usually found with law firms that have a lower operating overhead and are priced somewhere in between the higher and lower price ranges. However, be aware that high overhead (typically large) patent law firms tend not to prefer small startup companies or individual inventors because of the extra time required to "hold hands" with pressure to charge a lower fees. They usually prefer large, high-volume clients that can afford their higher rates and tend to not closely track work quality because no single case is typically important. In contrast, closely held companies and individuals tend to value each invention highly, and tend to require high quality service but at an affordable cost.

    How is Bay Area IP's fee approach to your advantage?

    Bay Area IP believes that high quality product and service does not have come at a high price if operating overhead is kept under control and inefficiencies in the patent preparation/prosecution process are reduced if not eliminated. We can afford to work harder, and we do.

    By extensive use of automation, avoiding expensive office space and redundant staff, and other efficiency boosting means, we are able to better put your limited budget to work directly towards adding value to the final product and our personalized service. In general, work quality depends almost solely on the practitioner working for you, and not the number of conference rooms, docketing/accounting/IT/International departments, secretaries, or law firm perks and vacation houses. With much less of your money spent on paying for our overhead, we can afford to do what we enjoy most- creating win-win situations by spending the necessary time to achieve high quality product and service to continually earn your return business.

    Our volume practice and high efficiency affords us the luxury of appreciating how a close working relationship with you can be efficiently leveraged to drive our work most effectively towards your end game.

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