U.S. patent and trademark counsel for firms worldwide

Your attorney of record before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, from the first filing to the final registration.

Where is your matter today?

Pick the stage. You will see what we do next and the papers to send us.

Filing a new U.S. application

We prepare and file the U.S. utility, design, or trademark application from your foreign filing and instructions, with the priority claim in place.

Utility and design prosecution →

What to send

  • The foreign application or registration, with its filing date
  • The priority deadline: 12 months for utility, 6 months for design and trademark priority
  • Applicant names and addresses
  • 1Choose your stage
  • 2See what to send
  • 3Send it in one email
  • Please do not send confidential details until we confirm a conflict check and engagement in writing.
58,251USPTO registration number
2006Registered to practice before the USPTO
HundredsOf patent and trademark matters worked on
5Core U.S. services, one point of contact
Printed patent line drawings, a fountain pen, and reading glasses on a desk

Built for foreign firms

Your U.S. desk, without the overhead

Firms in Europe, Asia, and beyond send us the U.S. part of their clients' portfolios. We file, prosecute, and report in English that reads cleanly for your client, on your instructions and your timeline.

  • Instructions in writing, confirmed in writing
  • Plain reporting your client can read without a translator
  • One registered patent attorney responsible for your file
How the attorney-of-record role works

Every U.S. matter turns on a date and a document. Send us both, and we take it from there.

Every stage of a U.S. matter

From first filing to final registration

A U.S. patent or trademark moves through four stages. We handle each one, so your client's file never has to change hands.

01

File

Get the U.S. application on file, on time, with the right priority claims.

Common services

  • Utility and design applications
  • PCT national phase entry
  • Paris Convention priority claims
  • Trademark applications
Explore filing

02

Examine

Answer the examiner on the record and move the case toward allowance.

Common services

  • Office action responses
  • Examiner interviews
  • Restriction requirements
  • Requests for continued examination
  • Trademark refusals
Explore examination

03

Appeal

When the examiner will not move, take the question to the Board.

Common services

  • Ex parte appeals to the PTAB
  • Pre-appeal brief requests
  • Appeal and reply briefs
  • Petitions to the Director
Explore appeals

04

Maintain

Keep the granted right in force and the record current.

Common services

  • Issue and maintenance fees
  • Trademark Section 8 and renewal filings
  • Change of correspondence address
  • Taking over as attorney of record
Explore maintenance

Why firms choose CK IP Law

One question guides every recommendation

What would we do if this were our own client's portfolio?

  • Practical advice your client can act on
  • Direct access to the responsible attorney
  • Written instructions, written confirmations
  • Honest answers, including when a case should not go forward
  • Prompt replies across time zones
A professional reviewing a bound legal file beside a laptop

How we work together

Three simple steps

01

Send the matter

The application or registration number, the deadline, and the parties. That is enough to start a conflict check.

02

Confirm the engagement

We confirm the conflict check and terms in writing. Then you send the file and your instructions.

03

We take it to the USPTO

We file at the USPTO and act on your written instructions.

See how we work

From the Federal Register

The latest from the USPTO

New USPTO rules, fee changes, and open comment periods, pulled from the Federal Register every weekday.

RuleAugust 26, 2026

International Trademark Classification Changes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues this final rule to incorporate classification changes adopted by the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Agreement). These changes are listed in the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (13th ed., ver. 2027) (Nice Classification), which is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and will become effective on January 1, 2027.

NoticeAugust 17, 2026

Request for Comments on Community Outreach Office Locations in the Southwest States

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is seeking information to consider regarding the selection of locations for one or more community outreach offices (COOs) in the agency's Southwest Region, which comprises Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.

NoticeAugust 11, 2026

Administrative Updates to the General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration To Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) announces that, after reviewing and evaluating the scientific and technical criteria for admission to practice in all patent matters, it is moving one Category B degree, Biomedical Science, to Category A, thereby expanding the admission criteria of the patent bar. In keeping pace with ever-evolving technology and related teachings that qualify someone to practice before the USPTO, this update will encourage broader participation of prospective patent practitioners. This action is being taken pursuant to the USPTO's periodic review of Category B degrees and the transition of commonly accepted Category B degrees to Category A on a predetermined timeframe, namely every three years.

All USPTO updates →   Board decision statistics →

Ready to send a U.S. matter?

Tell us the number, the deadline, and the parties. We reply with a conflict check and next steps.

Send a new matter