SHOWRUNNER
Chris Tanner, Esq.
Patent Attorney since 1998; Patent Agent since 1996
Patent Examiner, US Patent Office: 1998-1999
Patent Inventor, Patent Engineer, and Patent Product Developer: 7 U.S. Patents
College Professor, Patent/Trademark Law: Johns Hopkins College of Business
Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering, Florida Atlantic University
- Utility patent applications written/filed: >700 apps
- Provisional patent applications written/filed: >600 apps
- Non-origin patent experience: ~1100 apps
- Patent Litigation experience: ~7 years
- Conducted >400 negotiations with Patent Examiners including in-person and telephone
- Expert Witness in Federal Court: patent procedure
- Patent Issuance Rate: ~97% (ask about the 3%)
- Extensive Trademark Experience
- Conducted >140 negotiations with Trademark Examiners including in-person and telephone
See numerous oral presentations on patents, trademarks, LLCs, and popular movies at YouTube.TannerPatent.com.
BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS AND TEAM MEMBERS
Doster.Law
Financing and Private Equity
Doster.Law
Jared Doster is an experienced Federal litigator and patent/trademark attorney who operates his own law firm. We sometimes refer cases to each other, discuss strategies, consult on hiring decisions, and do load-balancing.
John Coyne
Financing and Private Equity
Doster.Law
John Coyne and his company forg3D.net have been a long-time team member and strategic advisor. John handles some of our formal patent drawings services. We sometimes refer tasks to each other.
Financing and Private Equity
Financing and Private Equity
We can sometime find funding for your small business, depending on your existing EBITDA and existing market-penetration. Only available for those entities already selling units and at least one (biz-only non-personal) tax return
Bob Pilgrim, PhD
Manu/Fab/Website Service Providers
Dr. Pilgrim has been a long-time supporter of us, including when we were located in Tokyo, and has provided numerous different services and referrals over the years. We also make referrals to Dr. Pilgrim on selected technical projects, especially in the area of software and electronics. Dr. Pilgrim is both an excellent patents graphics technician, but also possesses superb language skills.
Manu/Fab/Website Service Providers
Manu/Fab/Website Service Providers
Manu/Fab/Website Service Providers
We can get stuff built for you. Its difficult, expensive, the contracts are complex, there are a lot of contingencies. Escrow is typically a complex negotiating-point. China need not be involved. Most inventors need help with production whether they realize it or not. But typically, they can't afford it.
What we bring TO THE PLATE
patent law and trademark law credentials
23 years patent prosecution experience, including as former Examiner, US Patent Office
drafted and filed >450 Utility patent applications, >600 provisional applications, a partial list (below) of Issued Patents is shown here
been involved in the prosecution and management of >2100 Utility patent applications
7 years patent litigation experience
extensive Opinion experience, including both Patentability and Freedom to Operate Opinions
10 years trademark prosecution experience
2 years trademark litigation experience, including settlement negotiations and stand-still agreements before TTAB
Extensive International Patent experience, including PCT filings and Interviews with non-USA patent offices. Practiced patent law in Tokyo and lived ~20 minutes walk from Japanese Patent Office. Lived in Japan for 2.5 years. 私は日本語を話し、日本に2。5年間住んでいました。
Extensive experience in both patent and trademark docketing. We perform docketing not only for this law firm, but also sub-contract to do some docketing for other law firms.
Patent Law professor and guest lecturer at numerous Universities, including but not limited to Johns Hopkins University, University of South Florida, Murray State University, University of Tampa, and Arizona State University
Entrepreneurship experience, incubators, economic development
Been working with startups, small businesses, inventors, and early-stage companies since 1997, provided some sort of counsel or guidance (either legal counsel, or non-legal strategic counsel e.g. product-strategy or funding-strategy) to >140 small businesses
Guest lecturer and presenter on entrepreneurship topics, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC.com): 2005-present
Fraud prevention. Yes, patents can be used in perpetuating fraud, and good examples are Theranos, Nikola, and also Enron. Cryptocurrency is another area where patent documents are used in very questionable contexts, especially around hyping investments such as ICO's.
Contributor: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners AFCE.com (not Certified Fraud Examiners, just belong to the group),
Member, Association of University Technology Managers (autm.net)
Guest lecturer and presenter on entrepreneurship topics, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC.com): 2005-present
Provide guidance and made presentations to Small Business Development Centers since 2013 americassbdc.org
Provide lots of free and accessible information for DIY inventors, including DIY patents playList, DIY trademarks playList, at YouTube.TannerPatent.com.
Personal
Strong believer in daily exercise.
Strong believer in spending at least part of every day outside: away from car, away from office, away from home, away from any computer screen (either stationary or mobile). To breathe, re-focus, digest the events of the day, and plan.
Most patent and trademark engagements do not result in directly meeting the client in-person, but when in-person meetings occur, it is preferred that these meetings involve moving around, talking while walking, and being outside. Florida is a beautiful state, has many pleasant walkways.
Strong believer in taking walks and hikes sometimes results in obtaining information from a client that may not otherwise have been discussed, possibly due to higher oxygen to the brain, and/or the stress-reduction commonly associated with walking.
A typical practice is to interview clients about their inventions using a digital recorder, often over the telephone.
This law practice involves a lot of travel. Have taken in-person invention-disclosures in Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, California.
Have also taken invention disclosures from inventors Okinawa Japan, Jakarata Indonesia, Taipei Taiwan, Shenzhen China, and Bucharest Rumania.
Occasional sufferer of Vertigo (not the movie). Sometimes use this resource for support.