Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: How do I get started?

A: Get in touch with our team by:

We'll get back to you within 24 hours and go from there.

Q: What are the costs associated with your legal services?

A: We provide quality and comprehensive legal services for reasonable prices. We also believe in transparency when it comes to your legal bills.

  1. We offer flat fees whenever we can, so that you'll know exactly what to expect on your invoice. Flat fees often make the most sense for transactional work, such as drafting a business contract, applying for patent or trademark protection, etc.

  2. We charge hourly fees for certain legal services that aren't practical on a flat fee basis, usually in connection with litigation, i.e., when you're suing or being sued by someone. However, for predictability, we always provide cost estimates and stay within our clients' budgets.

  3. We offer annual subscriptions, which provide your business with a dedicated legal team for a flat monthly fee. Monthly fees are determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on your business's specific legal needs.

Q: How do I know when I need to contact a lawyer?

A: Here are some common reasons to contact an intellectual property lawyer:

  • You have legal questions that you can't answer by Google searching (side note: don't trust everything you read on the Internet!);

  • You want to start, grow, sell, or wind up your business;

  • You want to make sure a contract includes terms favorable to you, before signing it;

  • You want to get out of a contract that you already signed;

  • You think your business could benefit from having certain intellectual property contracts in place;

  • You're interested in protecting your intellectual assets, e.g., branding, logos, illustrations, designs, inventions, etc.;

  • Someone else is stealing your intellectual property and you want them to stop (and/or pay for what they stole);

  • You receive a "cease and desist" letter accusing you of infringing someone else's patent, trademark, or copyright; or appropriating your trade secret;

  • You want to make sure all your business's bases are covered so that you can avoid potential litigation; or

  • You are being sued, or you want to sue someone else.

If you think you might need an attorney, let us know.

Q: What are the differences between patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets?

A: Here's the simple version: Patents protect inventions, such as new and useful devices, methods, manufactures, and compositions of matter. Plants and designs are also patentable. Trademarks protect brand names and logos. Copyrights protect creative works, such as illustrations, photographs, sculptures, and literary works. Trade secrets protect confidential information—such as devices, techniques, and formulas—that give businesses a competitive edge.

Learn more about the different types of intellectual property:

Q: What does "litigation" mean?

A: "Litigation" refers to the process of taking legal action regarding a dispute. Contrary to common belief, litigation encompasses more than just a trial or lawsuit. In fact, litigation includes many activities that occur before, during, and after a lawsuit, such as sending or responding to a "cease and desist" letter or "demand" letter, pre-lawsuit investigation, arbitration, mediation, negotiating settlement agreements, discovery, the trial itself, post-trial appeals, and basically any other activity you engage in with an lawyer or a court in connection with the dispute.

At Res Nova Law, we're experienced litigators whose goal is to resolve our clients' legal disputes in a creative, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

Q: What does "transaction" mean?

A: "Transaction" essentially means legal paperwork. Examples of intellectual property and business transactions include drafting and negotiating intellectual property contracts; preparing patent, trademark, and copyright applications; intellectual property and business advising; and basically any other activity that involves legal paperwork and doesn't fall within the realm of litigation.

At Res Nova Law, we specialize in intellectual property and business transactions in addition to litigation.

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