My name is Nick, and I’m a patent lawyer. I like building beautiful things. And patents are no exception. I never considered a patent to be a purely legal instrument. It’s a story. How you found the problem. How you found the solution. How you’ll save the world. Whether you’re starting a new story or continuing your epic, let me tell you mine.
I started my career as a software engineer. I love programming. I still do it today. But I felt boxed because I was removed from the written word. I missed reading, writing, and being persuasive. So within a year, I started the evening program at law school. I gave up four years of evenings and weekends, gaining a discipline that I could have never found on my own. And for the next 9 years, I worked as a patent lawyer at a Fortune 500. But I still wanted to build my way. And here we are, building beautiful things…my way.
What can I build for you?
2019 – Present
Nick Cole
Patent Attorney-at-law
2015 – 2018
Senior Patent Counsel
Qualcomm, Inc.
2012 – 2015
Patent Counsel
Qualcomm, Inc.
2009 – 2012
Associate Patent Counsel
Qualcomm, Inc.
2007 – 2009
Patent Agent
Qualcomm, Inc.
2006 – 2007
Patent Engineer
Qualcomm, Inc.
2005 – 2006
Senior Engineer
Qualcomm, Inc.
2004 – 2005
Engineer
Qualcomm, Inc.
2005 – 2009
University of San Diego, School of Law
Juris Doctorate
2002 – 2004
University of Nevada, Reno
Master of Science, Computer Science
1998 – 2002
University of Nevada, Reno
Bachelor of Arts, English
Attorney
State of California, Bar No. 266,826
Registered Patent Attorney
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Registration No. 60,957
Never patent without purpose. If you don't have a strategy, I can help. If you have a strategy, but you are not receiving the results you wanted, I can help. Whatever your strategy, I will see that your patents have purpose.
By applying for a patent, you are effectively asking the government to grant you the right to exclude others from claimed invention. That is a big ask. You want someone to write up your idea, not just accurately but also persuasively. Before you receive, you have to ask...persuasively.
Maybe you're only interested in the US. But your invention may need to be filed in several countries to have adequate protection. I have prosecuted cases in the US, EU, China, Japan, Korea, India, China, Russia, Brazil, Taiwan and forty additional jurisdictions. Let me help you reach your goals, in the US and around the world.
The law may be black and white, but the world is gray. You are here because you have an important decision to make. My job is to give you as much information as I can such that you can make that important decision. And I will be here, waiting for you at the next, important decision.
Patent litigation is not a war fought with a single lawyer. You will want the right experts and attorneys supporting your case. After working in-house for more than a decade, I have the mental adaptability and experience to make your litigation a success.
You may have an idea that is awesome. It's even patent eligible. But it's worthless because it's too easy to work around or it's completely undetectable. Whether you're in the early phases or years into prosecution, having a holistic review of the invention may help you make the tough business decisions.
Every single company is on a fixed budget, even if that budget is millions. You may have patents in your portfolio that are not going to yield a return on your investment. I can identify lower value cases such that you can shift your spend toward higher value ones.
Open source is great. What isn't great is inadvertently agreeing to give your code away by using open source. I've reviewed thousands of lines of code for compliance with GPL, MIT, Apache, and BSD. Let's find creative solutions to ensure you keep what you built.
Whether you filing a new patent or trying to invalidate an existing patent, finding the best prior art is key. And finding the best prior art begins with a solid technical understanding of the subject matter.
© Perpetuity + 1. All rights reserved. Attorney advertisement. No attorney-client relationship established by site visit or contact form.