Harbor Law

Practice Areas

Patents

 

The Credere Law, located in Palo Alto, California, provides legal counsel and representation in all areas of patent law.  United States patent law has recently undergone dramatic changes with the passage of the America Invents Act (AIA).  The changes include moving from first-to-invent to first-to-file, establishing new inter parties, post-grant and covered business methods review of patents, and providing for prioritized and fast-track examinations. We help clents understand and navigate these changes.

 

We help entrepreneurs and businesses in the United States and in foreign countries protect their innovations by obtaining  broad enforceable patents.  Patent claims need to be broad enough to prevent the theft of the inventive concept yet narrow enough to be novel and nonobvious. Our firm understands this delicate balance. We have the experience necessary to prepare patent claims thatare sufficiently broad to encompass infringement while still avoiding the prior art. 

 

Entity Formation and Structuring

 

Our business attorneys specialize in forming and structuring business entities, ranging from closely held corporations and limited liability companies to emerging growth companies destined for an IPO. Our business attorneys have one overriding objective: to understand our client’s business goals and then help to achieve them as effectively and efficiently as possible. Our expertise includes:

 

• Advising on choice of entity, ownership and management structure

• Preparation of formation and organizational documents, and shareholder and operating agreements

• Optimizing entity structure in consultation with accounting and tax professionals

• Advising on compensation arrangements — including stock options, synthetic equity, performance-based bonus plans and other incentives — for principals, management and key employees