Registered Patent Attorney · Sunnyvale, CA
Before becoming an attorney, Herbert T. Patty worked as a process engineer at Intel Corporation, then transitioned to Intel’s legal department for patent licensing and prosecution, and later to IP firms in Silicon Valley.
Today, he helps budding companies, inventors and businesses protect their patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, from first filing through enforcement.
1999
Georgia Tech
Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Intel Corporation · AZ
Process Engineer to Patent Licensing
Process Engineer, then Patent Licensing
2007
Santa Clara Law
J.D. and High Technology Law certificate
2014
Bay Area Startup
General counsel, while running HTPLaw
2022
Maxeon Solar Technologies
Senior IP counsel, alongside HTPLaw
Today
HTPLAW, Sunnyvale
Full focus on the firm’s clients
The firm
The Law Office of Herbert T. Patty is a law firm uniquely positioned to provide strategic patent and intellectual property services. Located in Silicon Valley’s technology and venture capital community, our law firm leverages technical, business, and legal expertise to help budding companies transform business concepts into industry-leading enterprises.
Startups and emerging companies
Patent, trademark, and trade secret protection for budding companies in Silicon Valley.
Intellectual Property ServicesInventors
Provisional and non-provisional patent applications, with a provisional-first option to lock in priority quickly, plus help licensing what you’ve invented.
Patent ServicesEstablished companies
Help deciding which inventions to patent, where to obtain protection and when to maintain those patents, along with portfolio analysis and licensing programs.
Portfolio ServicesPractice areas
Design and utility patents, provisional and non-provisional applications, prosecution and office action responses, prior art searches, portfolio management and post-issuance services.
Learn more about PatentsClearance, federal applications with the USPTO, California state registrations, and international protection through the Madrid Protocol, followed by prosecution, office action responses, and the maintenance filings that keep your marks in force.
Learn more about TrademarksGuidance and representation to protect creative works, software and other materials.
Learn more about CopyrightsSupport for litigation teams during IP trials: infringement analysis and claim charting, prior art searches, document review and technical legal documentation.
Learn more about LitigationProtecting your invention while you build, test and show your prototype.
Learn more about Prototype DevelopmentProtecting trade secrets and managing misappropriation risk across joint ventures, partnerships and relationships with employees, customers and vendors.
Learn more about Trade SecretsAppeals of final rejections, inter partes and post-grant reviews, and defending issued patents before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Learn more about PTAB MattersOppositions, cancellations and appeals before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Learn more about TTAB MattersWhy HTPLaw
Before becoming an attorney, Herbert T. Patty worked as a process engineer at Intel Corporation, then transitioned to Intel’s legal department for patent licensing and prosecution, and later to IP firms in Silicon Valley.
A mechanical engineering degree and hands-on Intel semiconductor manufacturing experience behind every patent application.
Advice on the legal and business impact of each matter, shaped by patent licensing work at Intel.
Committed to working within your budgetary goals, with your financial expectations understood before work begins.
Help deciding where to obtain patent protection for clients doing business in the U.S. and abroad.
Testimonials
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Getting started
Step 1
Pick a time in the online calendar.
Schedule a consultationStep 2
Walk through your invention, brand or business matter and what you want to achieve.
Step 3
Your financial expectations and objectives are understood before work on your matter begins.
FAQ
General information, not legal advice for your situation.
Still have questions?
Speak with a Registered Patent Attorney
Schedule a consultation to discuss your matter, or call (408) 520-8701.
A patent protects an invention, such as a new device, process or design. Examples: a new kind of medical sensor, a faster manufacturing method, or the unique shape of a product (a design patent).
A trademark protects the names, logos and slogans that identify your brand. Examples: a company or product name, a logo, or a tagline used on your packaging and website.
A copyright protects original creative work. Examples: software code, a website’s text and photos, marketing videos, or a song.
A trade secret protects valuable confidential information for as long as it stays secret. Examples: a recipe or chemical formula, a manufacturing process, or a customer list and pricing strategy. Coca-Cola’s formula is a well-known example.
Most companies need more than one. A startup might patent its device, trademark its product name, copyright its app code, and keep its manufacturing process as a trade secret.
A federal registration, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), protects your mark nationwide. It’s the right choice for businesses that sell across state lines or online. A California state registration, filed with the California Secretary of State, covers use within California and can suit local businesses. HTPLaw handles both and will recommend the right fit for how your business operates.
Yes. For inventions, we file international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, known as PCT applications. These preserve your right to seek protection in many countries through a single filing. For brands, we file international trademark applications under the Madrid Protocol, known as Madrid applications. These extend a U.S. trademark to other member countries. We’ll help you decide where protection makes sense for your business.
In the U.S., every application is examined by the USPTO. It’s common for the examiner to issue an office action, a letter raising objections to registration. Your attorney then prepares a written response. Once a patent issues, maintenance fees are due at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years to keep it in force. A trademark can last indefinitely as long as you keep using it. Ongoing use must be confirmed between years 5 and 6, and the registration renewed every 10 years. HTPLaw tracks these deadlines for you.
From inventions to brands, get strategic patent and intellectual property guidance from a firm at the intersection of technology, business and law.