Chemical: Overview

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has deep and longstanding ties to the chemical industry. We know that few industries feel the effects of global competition more acutely. As competition mounts, an innovative edge is increasingly important, competition is ever more nimble and every competitive advantage must be exploited. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Intellectual Property attorneys work with clients in the chemical industry to preserve and protect their most critical competitive advantage: innovative solutions to complex technical problems.

Whether the intellectual property relates to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, polymers or any other field of applied chemistry or biology, our lawyers have the technical training and experience to work closely with researchers and the legal acumen to guide clients efficiently through the patent process.

The lessons of nanotechnology reinforce the idea that seemingly divergent fields can be intimately related. Diverse perspectives and technical training are essential to effective protection of many of today's breakthroughs. Similarly, advances in chemical processing, medical devices and the like are increasingly integrated with sophisticated electronics and computers. We have a strong and deep bench across technological disciplines, and we draw upon that depth to create cross-disciplinary teams as needed.

Today's global marketplace demands a global perspective. Whether our clients' operations are based in the U.S., elsewhere, or both, the role and effectiveness of various patent regimes must be considered. We have relationships with law firms and solicitors around the world developed over many decades. Together with our expansive network, we can effectively address patent issues arising anywhere in the world. We devise strategies and solutions for clients from start-ups to multinational conglomerates to achieve global commercial objectives in an economical and efficient fashion.

The peculiarities of the U.S. patent system demand special expertise. Post-allowance practice under the U.S. patent system is unlike anywhere else in the world. Patents can be corrected by reexamination or reissue, and priority contests are decided in interference proceedings, a legacy of our unique first-to-invent system. Even by U.S. standards, such practices are complex. We have one of the most active and longstanding post-allowance practices in the country, with nationally recognized experts and staff dedicated solely to those practices. Our experience in post-allowance practice affords a broader perspective that enables us to devise creative strategies that offer cost-effective alternatives or adjuncts to litigation.