Intellectual Property, Business, and Estate Planning

King Patent Law, PLLC

Protecting your ideas, business, and legacy

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Intellectual Property

Patent

Trademark

Trade Secrets and Confidential/Proprietary Information

Patents

Patents protect inventions, like manufactured items, processes, machines, compositions of matter, or improvements to those things. Sometimes they also protect the way a manufactured item looks or a new kind of plant.

Trademarks

Trademarks protect your brand: business name, logo, slogan, package design, store design elements, sounds, scents, and more. They identify a source of goods or services and distinguish it from others.

Copyright

Copyright protects intellectual and artistic expression, including books, magazines, movies, photographs, music, drawings, paintings, live performances, and sculpture. It also protects software programs, business plans and charts, websites, graphic designs, and data compilations.

Other IP Protection

Trade secrets, confidential information, and proprietary information cover many pieces of intellectual property that can’t be protected by patent, trademark, or copyright registration. Non-disclosure agreements are useful for protection.

Recent Posts About Intellectual Property

Tales from the Crypt(ic Requirements): Trademark Specimens and Intent-to-Use Trademark Applications Decoded

Thinking about filing a trademark before you launch? Intent-to-Use applications and specimen requirements are more complex than they appear. Patent attorney Julie King explains what goes wrong and why trademark attorney guidance matters. You’ve got a great brand name. Maybe you’ve designed a logo. You’re getting ready to launch your business or product. But here’s the question everyone asks: Should you wait until you’re actually selling products to file for a trademark? Or can you file now and secure your rights before launch?

February 24, 2026

Current Events: Trump Trademarks and the Domestic Emoluments Clause

How Trump Business Ownership of Airport Trademarks Would Violate the Domestic Emoluments Clause: How does the Domestic Emoluments Clause apply to these trademark applications? Who names airports? That’s right, Congress does, for airports under federal jurisdiction, and the states do for state-owned airports.
Trump has asked for the Palm Beach International Airport and Dulles International Airport to be named after him. Given that these applications also cover airport construction, it’s not a leap to think there may be future airports Trump wants to be named “DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” and/or “PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,” especially if the proposed renaming of the Palm Beach and Dulles airports doesn’t happen. Note that the trademarks for the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are owned by the public entity that runs the airport, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Federal Agency Assignee of United States (D.C. Body Politic and Corporate) ), NOT a private company.

February 17, 2026

28 Months Later: How the PCT Gives You Time to Survive International Filing

Beyond Borders: Global Patent Filing Strategies (PCT, Foreign Filing, and When to Go International)

Planning to sell internationally? Learn when and how to file patents globally using PCT, Paris Convention, or direct foreign filing. Patent attorney Julie King breaks down your options. By the end of this post, you’ll understand your options, the deadlines you cannot miss, and how to build a global patent strategy that actually supports your business instead of draining your bank account.

February 16, 2026

The Jump Scare of Patent Costs (A Realistic Look at Time and Money)

Let’s be blunt: getting a patent is hard. The USPTO rejects most applications before ultimately granting them. The process takes 2-3 years at best, and a minimum budget of $25,000 is realistic. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m making sure you go in with your eyes open, like walking into a horror movie knowing there will be jump scares. If your invention has real commercial potential, the investment is absolutely worth it.

January 30, 2026

DIY Patent Applications: A Recipe for Disaster

“Can I file my own patent application?” Legally? Yes. Should you? Almost certainly not. Patent law is incredibly technical. The claims, which are the part that defines what’s actually protected, must be written with surgical precision. One wrong word can mean the difference between strong protection and worthless paper.

January 29, 2026

It’s Alive! (But Only If You File the Non-Provisional Patent Application)

here’s a very important point that trips up so many inventors. There. Is. No. Such. Thing. As. A. Provisional. Patent. It is a provisional patent APPLICATION, and it will NEVER become a patent unless a non-provisional application that can claim its priority date is filed within the 12-month deadline. It’s like Frankenstein’s monster without the brain.

January 28, 2026