Services - Play it safe - with your IP Experts
Everything to protect your Intellectual Property
You seek protection for your industrial and intellectual property, protection for your patent, for your trademark, for your design? That is exactly why we provide all services – for our clients at home and abroad. We protect your interests ourselves or together with specialized, long-standing partners abroad.
High professional competence
Our patent and trademark attorneys are characterized by a high level of professional competence and many years of practice. Cases are discussed as a team and thus the entire know-how is made available for each individual case.
International Network
0ur membership in national and international associations as well as our close cooperation with national attorneys, patent, and trademark attorneys all over the world, allows us to optimally support your needs concerning IP matters in the international environment.
The complete offer
Our services to secure your intellectual property include:
- Drafting of patent applications
- Direct filing of applications with the IPI as well as the EPO and WIPO
- Filing of national applications via representatives worldwide
- Execution and supervision of the examination and granting procedure of patent applications
- Validation of patent applications in Switzerland and abroad
- Conducting or participating in opposition proceedings
- Legal status and factual research
- Preparation of patent specific contracts
- Advice on the creation of trademark portfolios
- Consulting for the creation of trademark and design portfolios
- Clarification of existing property rights (clearing) and risk analysis
- Preparation of trademark and design applications
- Filing of applications with the IGE and WIPO
- Filing of national or regional applications through representatives (worldwide)
- Conducting or supervising the registration procedure of trademark and design applications
- Conducting or participating in opposition proceedings and trademark conflicts
- Negotiating and drafting contracts
- Monitoring of trademark registrations and early detection of conflicts (worldwide)
Our Services - Overview
Three types of mandated according to your needs
- Instruction mandate
We obtain instructions from you for each step of the procedure. - Continuation mandate
We carry out further procedural steps with your consent, even without instructions. - Fee payment mandate
We pay the recurring fees for the maintenance of the property rights.
The instruction mandate
We obtain separate instructions from our clients for each stage of the procedure. If we do not receive the required information in time, we send out two notices of expiry of the deadline. If we still do not receive the instructions, we consider the proceedings to be terminated.
Advantage: The procedure and its costs are controllable for the client. It should be noted, however, that if no instructions are received in time, a protective right may be lost.
The continuation mandate
This means that we continue pending proceedings even without explicit instructions, but with the client’s fundamental consent. Based on the file situation and our case- or client-specific knowledge, we act independently as long as this is possible. As soon as we are requested to terminate the proceedings, we cease our activities and inform any representatives involved.
Advantage: The continued procedure minimizes the risk of unintentionally losing an IP right. However, it should be noted that unexpected procedural costs may arise.
The fee-paying mandate
As a rule, the above mandates are combined with this one. With this mandate, we pay the maintenance fees of intellectual property rights until the mandate is explicitly terminated for this purpose. We also do not send out reminders, but automatically carry out renewals and payments before the due date and settle them afterwards.
Advantage: No property rights can expire for lack of timely instruction
Reduce litigation risks – we advise you objectively
Expert opinion on infringement
We recommend that you obtain an expert opinion before taking legal action. We also recommend an expert opinion to clarify the relevance of infringement allegations made by third parties. In these expert opinions, we explain whether or not infringement of intellectual property rights is to be assumed – and if so, to what extent and which consequences are to be expected.
Freedom to operate
We understand the desire to receive a positive opinion as “freedom to operate”. We strive to show you the possibilities, but also the limits of such opinions and to inform you objectively about the results and possible risks.
We research for you – on all channels
Legal status
The determination of the current legal status of intellectual property rights is often at the beginning of contract negotiations, investigations of possible infringements or the development of new products. We support you with our international connections and direct access to the most important databases.
Identity or similarity searches
Especially when developing new trademarks and before entering a new market, it is extremely important to conduct a search for already existing register entries that could prevent the use or application of a new trademark. We clarify whether identical or confusingly similar trademarks have already been filed and are being used.
Subject-matter searches
Which intellectual property rights have already been published in a technical field? This question often arises in the context of developments. With our factual searches, we ensure which areas of technology are considered to be generally usable prior art – and which areas, if any, pose the risk of infringing on existing or future property rights. With our searches we support you and found documents are analyzed.
We monitor your intellectual property – worldwide
Generally or selectively
It may be advisable to monitor certain competitors, either generally with regard to their activities in connection with the filing of intellectual property rights or selectively with regard to the course of proceedings of their specific intellectual property rights.
If a trademark is registered, we recommend its protection against identical or similar brands. If too many similar trademarks are filed for the same goods and/or services, your trademark risks losing value. Through continuous monitoring, we can alert you to newly registered trademarks that are identical or similar to your trademark.
With this service, we can help you in time with possible legal steps to enforce your intellectual property, to maintain its value, but also in case of imminent risks.
We help to solve conflicts – in your interest
Decision bases
In the event of an impending conflict or one that has already arisen, we will represent you and provide you with advice. Our experts critically assess the opportunities and risks and decide with you on how to resolve the conflict.
Infringement of your own property rights
We support you in the event of a suspected or proven infringement of your own intellectual property rights, both in Switzerland and abroad. Together with you, we develop a defense strategy. If necessary, we call in additional specialists for the related proceedings.
Infringement of third party intellectual property rights
The same applies in the reverse case: If you fear that you are infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties or are confronted with allegations of infringement, we will provide you with competent support and advice.
Your data and files are valuable – and safe with us
Property rights administration
The most important data of the intellectual property rights we manage are stored and maintained in our database. We also store and monitor all related important deadlines. The monitoring of the renewal periods of intellectual property rights and the payment of the corresponding fees is possible through us with the different mandate options offered.
File management
We maintain a complete, electronically managed file for handling the cases we manage. As a client, you will receive the relevant documents for all cases, based on the agreed mandate. We also offer you to manage files partially or completely with us and to keep originals with us.
Access to intellectual property data
Our system is set up so that our clients can view specific data on their property rights via the Internet. The connection is encrypted via an SSL connection. We will gladly inform you in more detail about this service.
In Swiss Francs, Euros or US Dollars – as desired
Effort of the experts
As a rule, the time spent by our experts is billed at a fixed hourly rate. For certain activities, for example participation in oral proceedings, we also agree on daily flat rates.
Basic fees / service flat rates
For certain standardized activities, we charge base fees. And for work in defined time ranges, we charge flat-rate service fees.
Official fees / third-party services
Official fees as well as services of third parties will be settled by us and subsequently invoiced to you. We take over the control of the corresponding invoices as well as the payment in due time.
Currencies
Our base currency is the Swiss Franc. Based on this, we convert amounts from offices or third-party services in other currencies into Swiss Francs. On request, we also issue our invoices in Euro (€) or US Dollar (US$).
Our back office - the interface between clients and experts
Active on all sides
It is the services provided by our back-office staff that make the services offered by our firm complete. Without them, our experts would not be as efficient.
The comprehensive services of the back office include
- Keeping and managing client files in paper and electronic form.
- Supporting the experts in administrative work.
- Processing and controlling payments of fees and external invoices.
- Managing the renewal of intellectual property rights.
- Communication with clients, foreign representatives, and offices.
For these services, our back office is divided into three divisions:
- Secretariat (with frontdesk for reception and operation of the telephone and mail exchange)
- Tax department (annual fee administration)
- Accounting department