Our way of working
1. The core philosophy of patent attorney Dr. Schoenen is to utilize the varied advantages of patents and other industrial property rights for the client in an economical way. Apart from the important imitation protection (already obtained in practice by the mere act of application), these rights also protect against the importation of forgeries, are nowadays autonomous commodities, can be used in advertising (”brand new,” “branded product”), solidify the reputation as an innovative, creative company, motivate employees to improve the products and processes, are suitable for use as collaterals for credits, facilitate additional profit through licensing and lead to many other advantages. More information can be found under the keyword “Integrative Property Right Management.”
Continued
2. For us, a legal consultation is a comprehensive consultation that continues after the specific commissioned task has ended - in addition, unsolicited important marginal subjects are discussed that, in the event of non-observance, can cause great difficulties and damages. Examples are the complex provisions for employee inventions, the care of a trademark even after successful application, advice regarding utilization such as licensing, etc.
3. Part of our philosophy is good collaboration with the client; this includes good and fast accessibility by phone and, if need be, a call back after a short time for discussing quickly and unbureaucratically issues as they turn up, as well as getting an appointment on very short notice at a convenient time for the client. Personal contact, either in the office or on the client’s own premises, is also essential. The mutual trust thus established allows a very unbureaucratic handling of the pending processes, in which often just a call from the client is enough. This intensive and individual attention to our client’s specific requirements leads to high-quality, long-term counseling and a property right strategy especially tailored to our client so that future issues and problems can be identified and solved as soon as they begin to appear.
4. We value the utmost quality, reliability and efficiency, as well as a close collaboration with the client so we can avoid the numerous pitfalls on the road from the invention to the patent and its enforcement.
The basis of this high quality are the more than 20 years of national and international experience in patent processing gained in a larger office, a large corporation and as an independent attorney working in his own office.
Professional expertise is especially important in patent law: To achieve an optimum result, it is essential to work with the best possible methods from the very beginning. Subsequent corrections and “touch ups” are generally not possible. The use of optimal methods ensures considerably better, long-term cost-effectiveness for my clients than if cheaper methods had been used early on.
The core of my philosophy - developed after many years of experience - is therefore: Only if the patent matter is placed “on the right track” from the very beginning will the best possible result be achieved in the end.
5. The best economical results are our objective. In order to optimize your benefits (also with regard to costs), we have developed a method to draw up an economical application that will still be of the highest quality. This method has been put to the test for many years and proven effective in practice. It can be applied if the inventor is capable of giving a factually correct, written account of the technical contents of his invention.
6. With the help of our international network of specialized attorney offices in Europe and on other continents, we can submit and manage property rights on a worldwide scale. Together with our domestic partner attorney offices, we can also process chemical patents and property right infringements and prosecute them quickly and effectively in all courts of the Federal Republic of Germany.
7. Modern computer equipment and the best patent software available on the market - with automatic deadline notification and monitoring as well as multiple protections - offer you complete reliability in the formal care of property rights and pending procedures.
Additional legal services (a selection):
- Maintenance of a case law database for a fast and thorough search of relevant court decisions and legal articles
- Maintenance of current accounts at the European Patent Office and the Harmonization Office to ensure prompt payment of outstanding fees, even on the due date
- Maintenance of an individual mailbox at the Harmonization Office for faster electronic transfer of official information
- Cost-saving electronic application of common European trademarks
- Ability to deliver any technical specialized articles in the shortest possible time
8. Our clients include well-known, large industrial companies and many well-known, small- and middle-sized companies with global presence from North Rhine-Westphalia, other parts of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and other European countries.