San Francisco Intellectual Property Attorneys & Lawyers
How it Works
Seth Wiener
Ross Brandborg
Jake Siciliano
Brig Ricks
Michael Wieser
Ali Shalchi
Troy Krich
Joshua Kushner
Gene Rhough
Carver Farrow
San Francisco Intellectual Property Lawyers
Why use UpCounsel to hire a San Francisco Intellectual Property Attorney?
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Legal Services Offered by Our On-Demand San Francisco Intellectual Property Attorneys
Our San Francisco intellectual property attorneys & lawyers can help you secure and protect your company-s intellectual property. Whether you are an entrepreneur, artist, author, engineer, manager, or individual - the IP attorneys on UpCounsel have you covered.
There are four common areas of intellectual property, which all protect different things such as: copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets. Additionally, licensing is a popular enough specialization of IP that warrants mentioning.
Our San Francisco IP attorneys that specialize in licensing can help you draft contracts that grant permission to another party to do something with an otherwise protected work or product. A license can grant the right to reproduce the work by: distributed copy of the work to others by rental, sale, or lease, or preparing derivative works using protected expression from the original work, and/or displaying the work.
Improve Your Legal ROI with Affordable IP Attorneys that service San Francisco, CA.
What Our Customers Have to Say
"UpCounsel gives me access to big-firm lawyers minus the big-firm price tag. I work with several attorneys on the platform and there are never surprises...I always receive quality legal work at competitive rates that larger firms simply cannot match."
"Every startup needs to know about UpCounsel. We found great attorneys at great prices and were able to focus our resources on improving our business instead of paying legal bills."
"Before UpCounsel it was hard for us to find the right lawyer with the right expertise for our business. UpCounsel solves those problems by being more affordable and helping us find the right lawyer in no time."
This is the most recent 20 reviews out of 1646 reviews for Commercial Contracts attorneys in California
IP Use Defense Letter
"Great experience working with you Danny, highly recommended!"
Greg F
.
Campbell,
CA,
3 days ago
Review Equipment Lease
"Will be using Ryan in the future!"
Edward N
.
Torrance,
CA,
3 days ago
Non-Disclosure Agreement (Commercial)
"Excellent work and highly responsive."
Natalie G
.
Oak Park,
CA,
3 days ago
Assist with Other Commercial Contract Matter
"Don't let his time in practice fool you. Sometimes early career means better listening; not frozen into patterns they have been using for decades. It was clear he was interested in accepting my process of working through the needs first, rather than wanting me to help him fill in a template."
Dennis P
.
Napa,
CA,
17 days ago
Startup Privacy Document Review
"Brandon was thoughtful, responsive, and very practical throughout the engagement. He took the time to understand the actual product and platform structure rather than forcing generic boilerplate onto the business. The review was detailed, actionable, and clearly grounded in real startup/platform experience, particularly around privacy, moderation, liability, and global launch considerations. Turnaround was fast, communication was clear, and the final documents felt significantly stronger while still aligned with the product vision. Highly recommend."
Karlene B
.
Lawndale,
CA,
19 days ago
Contract Review and Negotiation
"Easy to work with."
James V
.
Santa Barbara,
CA,
about 1 month ago
Review Lien
"Excellent attorney. Very knowledgeable and responsive."
Mary M
.
San Francisco,
CA,
about 1 month ago
Review Loan Agreement
"Eric was quick, thorough, and patient!"
Anna O
.
San Francisco,
CA,
about 1 month ago
Review Privacy Policy
"Vincent delivered exactly what I needed, but what really set him apart was the strategic thinking he brought beyond the scope of the engagement, flagging risks and opportunities I hadn't considered as an early-stage founder. He thinks like an operator, not just a lawyer billing hours. Highly recommend."
Cherryl L
.
Pittsburg,
CA,
about 2 months ago
SaaS IP Assignment Help
"I needed IP Assignment for some SaaS technology to be transferred properly to a company. Ali was very knowledgable and communicated well. Will absolutely use his services in the future."
David A
.
Clovis,
CA,
2 months ago
Review Terms of Service
"Jack was great to work with. He quickly understood our Stripe-based product and delivered clear, practical redlines to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy that nailed the “software layer, not a payment processor” positioning. Fast, precise, and easy to implement—I’d happily work with him again."
Terry C
.
Murrieta,
CA,
3 months ago
Consulting Agreement Review
"Zvi was great. HIs very knowledgeable in contract law around consulting and confidentiality agreements. His experience with IP and tech industry is very helpful if you are in those arenas. HIs approach is very personable making him very easy to work with. A little loose with deadlines. Like his flat fee structure with the understanding that he would see the matter through and not constantly adding hours for every revision and rebuttal to a counterparty revision. I will use him again."
Gregory G
.
Belmont,
CA,
3 months ago
Review Service Agreement
"Scott was exceptional to work with. He quickly developed an understanding of our unique business and translated that into a comprehensive, well structured MSA. His work was thorough, and he was always willing to walk through questions and provide clear, practical guidance."
Philip C
.
San Anselmo,
CA,
3 months ago
Review Distribution Agreement
"It was easy but most beneficial to get my contract reviewed."
Arun G
.
San Jose,
CA,
3 months ago
Assist with Other Commercial Contract Matter
"Mr. Riordan did not provide the services he promised. The job I posted was to sign a document and he promised to deliver that. What he delivered was a letter stating that he can not sign the document because he is does not practice law in California. The money that I paid him was a complete waste and feel misled. I communicated that with him and asked for a refund but of course he denied it."
Efecan A
.
Los Angeles,
CA,
6 months ago
Privacy Policy
"I asked Gene to do a second pass at a Privacy Policy he drafted for me for my app, based on updated guidance for developers from the App store and Google Play, and he graciously agreed. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and attention to detail, always. I plan to continue to hire him in the future as the needs for my startup continue to evolve."
Lisa A
.
Los Angeles,
CA,
7 months ago
Website Terms and Privacy
"Tim was helpful and easy to work with"
Christopher D
.
Los Angeles,
CA,
8 months ago
SaaS Contract Review
"Wonderful work!"
Alyson S
.
Chattanooga,
TN,
8 months ago
Prenuptial Agreement Drafting
"Troy did an excellent job with our pre-nup. We needed something simple and wanted to avoid the cost that came with hiring privately from a firm. We had a short period of time to put things together, and Troy was organized, efficient, and responsive. 10/10, would absolutely use his services again!"
Melissa S
.
El Granada,
CA,
8 months ago
Draft Privacy Policy
"Steve did a fantastic job creating our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In just a couple of days, he was able to pull together two very comprehensive documents that cover all the key areas we needed for launch! I’ll be reaching out for any future updates to our docs."
Jose R
.
Ontario,
CA,
9 months ago
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Key Takeaways:
- Trademark protection helps prevent unauthorized use and infringement.
- Registration with the USPTO offers strong legal benefits, but enforcement is the owner’s responsibility.
- Choosing a unique, creative trademark strengthens legal standing.
- Maintaining a trademark includes periodic renewal and monitoring for misuse.
- Both state and federal laws govern trademark protection, with the Lanham Act central to federal protections.
- Different types of trademarks (fanciful, arbitrary, descriptive) impact the level of protection. <
...
Read MoreKey Takeaways
- The USPTO and courts use multi-factor tests (Polaroid, DuPont, and Lapp) to assess trademark confusion risk.
- The strength and distinctiveness of a trademark significantly affect protection.
- Actual confusion isn’t required but can strongly support a claim.
- Intent, marketing overlap, and buyer sophistication influence the decision.
- Businesses can reduce confusion risk through strategic branding and searches.
What Are Likelihood of Confusion Factors?
Likelihood of confusion factors are the legal standards used to determine whether trademark infringement has occurred. The factors are also used as one of several tests conducted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to determine whether a trademark application is approved.
The likelihood of confusion test is used to decide if a trademark is likely to be confused with another trademark
...
Read MoreSuggestive Trademark Examples and Legal Insights
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Key Takeaways
- A suggestive trademark hints at the nature of a product or service, requiring imagination to make the connection.
- These marks are inherently distinctive and eligible for protection without proving secondary meaning.
- Examples include Netflix (suggests movies via the internet) and Greyhound (suggests speed and travel).
- They are stronger than descriptive marks but not as strong as arbitrary or fanciful marks.
- Courts assess “mental leap” and “competitor necessity” when distinguishing suggestive from descriptive marks.
- Properly crafted suggestive
...
Read MoreKey Takeaways
- There is no single worldwide patent; protection is achieved by filing national or regional patents.
- An international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) simplifies filing in over 150 countries, providing a unified procedure before entering national phases.
- Applicants gain up to 30 months from their initial filing date to decide where to pursue protection.
- Common mistakes include assuming a PCT itself grants rights or missing strict filing deadlines.
- Costs vary widely, often $4,000–$5,000 initially, plus thousands more per country for national phase entry.
...
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