The preparation of the patent application, primarily its claims, is the most critical element in successfully enforcing a patent. This is where the expertise and experience of Connors & Associates pays off for their clients.

Experience

John Connors, founder of Connors & Associates, an Orange County, CA, based law firm, brings to the firm the experience and specialized knowledge needed to create valuable property rights in ideas. His commitment to protecting his clients' ideas spans three decades, including a brief term as a Los Angeles assistant district attorney. He has evaluated all types of inventions both as to their patentability and commercial merit.

Prior to establishing Connors & Associates in 1983, he was patent counsel to several major corporations, including the Standard Oil Company, the Brunswick Corporation, and TRW. At TRW he managed the patent and licensing department, and served on the Advanced Electronics Panel chaired by Simon Ramo and the Patent Committee for the Aerospace Industry Association, and has testified as an expert witness in Jacobson v. Kawasaki, involving the Jet Ski®.

John Connors is author of "The 10 Commandments for Protecting Your $1,000,000 Idea"

Technical Expertise

Connors & Associates' professional team has technical expertise in medical devices, chemical processes, plastic molding and molding tools, sporting and exercise equipment, aerospace technology, computers, software, solar heating equipment, automotive devices, electrical welding, petroleum refining and production equipment, circuit board testing apparatus, water purification, and pharmacology.

Each invention is unique, so the expertise of specialists may be required in some cases. Therefore, the firm employs, on a case by case basis, independent patent attorneys and technical experts specializing in specific technologies. The firm also retains attorneys in countries outside the United States, who appear on behalf of the firm's clients in local jurisdictions. These local attorneys are experts in the patent and trademark laws of their countries, and they continually advise the firm concerning changes in local laws that are of interest to the firm's clients. The firm also uses attorneys and searchers in Washington, D. C. when access is needed to the records of the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

Mr. Connors is offering the Introduction and Commandment I for free downloading at his web site at www.inventorbeware.com

Patent Enforcement Strategy

The acquisition of intellectual property rights is accompanied by a carefully planned enforcement strategy. However, litigation is often avoided through negotiation. Because enforcement of patents requires different skills than needed in obtaining intellectual property rights and negotiating agreements, the firm refers lawsuits to trial counsel specializing in intellectual property litigation.

Mr. Connors is a member of the Licensing Executives Society, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Orange Coast Venture Group, the Orange County Bar Association, the Forum for Corporate Directors, and the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel. He has published a number of articles on patent and trademark law in Business to Business magazine, and has lectured on intellectual property law and entrepreneurship at Pepperdine University, Saddleback College, and UCLA.

Mr. Connors has a Juris Doctorate Degree from John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota.