Introduction

• Author: Dylan O. Adams
• Profession: Seattle-based patent attorney
• Pages: 11-13

xi

Introduction

I am a patent attorney with a master’s in electrical engineering and

a bachelor’s in biochemistry, and I assist my clients with fascinating

and cutting-edge technology on a daily basis . From industry leaders to

garage inventors, I work with a full spectr um of clients and a wide vari-

ety of technology. Detection crystals for supercolliders, drone technol-

ogy, military hardware, a nd even thong underwear for dogs are a few

of the inventions with which I have worked. My passion, however, is

working with star tups and emerging companies. I love the energy and

enthusiasm of budding innovators hustling to bring their products to

market and I nd that these clients are t he most in need of reliable

counsel on how to protect their ideas and inventions.

Some of these companies may consist of only a few core founders

who are working to develop a rst product with their own savings as

startup capital. Ot hers have raised money through Kickstar ter, angel

investors, or venture capital funds, but are still pushi ng to get a rst

product on the market. Despite being new to the process, these innova-

tors are keenly aware that patents are usually one of the most valuable

assets their companies wi ll own and are eager to learn more about the

process.

Unfortunately, these same companies typically have a hard time

getting good patent guidance. Although general information about

the patent process is available from a wide range of resources, those

resources do not provide necessary detail or oer a one-size-ts-all

strategy that fai ls to account for the unique needs of each business

and product. Seasoned patent attorneys are the only reliable source of

a custom-craed patent strategy that ma ximizes patent protection and

brings value to a company, but attorney time is extremely expensive.

Sophisticated and well-capitalized companies a lready know how to

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