Welcome to the Patent Portal of the Law Offices of James D. Ivey.

Some commonly dispensed advice with respect to patents is included in both the Articles and FAQ sections. Feel free to browse that information. If you're new to patents, please start with the most important thing you need to know about patents.  Please also refer to this article describing representative clients and technologies of my practice.

The bulk of my practice to date has been in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications. I also prepare legal opinions regarding the infringement and/or validity of patents, for example, in anticipation of litigation.

The technical subject matter of my work has spanned a wide variety of technical arts including all aspects of computer engineering (from semiconductor fabrication and layout to circuit design to system level design to system and high-level computer software). Recent focus has been on e-commerce and Internet related technology. My work has also covered computer peripheral, mechanical, medical instrument, and electronic amplifier arts. Beyond patent preparation, prosecution, and analysis, my work has included trademark, copyright, licensing, trade secret, and litigation work as well.

Legal Background

I received my Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1991. I was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1991, and I am registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Registration Number 37,016).

Technical Background

I graduated from California State University at Fullerton (B.S.C.S. cum laude 1987). I worked for a few years as a software engineer before entering law school. The bulk of my technical experience was acquired at Chevron Oil Field Research Company in La Habra, California. For more than three years, I developed an interactive seismic data interpretation system and wrote software pertaining to computer generated graphics, graphical user-interfaces, and database management. Working in a geophysics department of a research facility, I was exposed to technical disciplines other than computer software, including signal processing and some of the more simple aspects of wave theory.