Patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, known as intellectual property (IP), are the heart of any established or new business.

1. Patents

Our services include procuring patents (provisional, utility, design, and PCT); managing, evaluating, and licensing patent portfolios; advising clients concerning the validity, infringement, or enforcement of patents; handling interferences and examinations in the Israel Patent Office; oppositions in foreign patent offices; and, litigating patents in the courts and, with associate counsel, in other jurisdictions around the world.

a. Filing and Prosecution

The Firm has expertise in all aspects of filing and prosecuting patents, including undertaking state of the art searches, reviewing disclosures, preparing patent applications and prosecuting them before the Israel Patent Office, as well as assisting with foreign registrations.

b. Exploitation and Licensing

The office's expertise extends to drafting agreements assisting clients to fully utilize their patent rights, related technology and know-how. These efforts include negotiating and developing technology transfer arrangements for clients, such as joint venture and licensing agreements both in Israel and abroad, in biotechnology as well as high tech.

c. Opinions/Valuations

We provide clients with advice on the relative value of intellectual property in the context of both patentability and license negotiations.

2. Trademarks

Trademarks and tradenames are used by every business to distinguish their goods and services from others. The Firm assists clients in obtaining and maintaining registered trademarks, in Israel and worldwide, including conducting all necessary trademark searches, filing applications, preparing and filing necessary affidavits and renewal applications, defending opposition proceedings and handling all other matters that may arise before the Israel Trademark Office.

Another aspect of our trademark practice involves due diligence studies for clients acquiring or selling trademark portfolios. We help our clients exploit their existing trademark rights through licensing. Because licensing has become a very lucrative way for companies to expand their brand identities, our experience in negotiating and drafting complex agreements has become increasingly important to our clients.

3. Copyright

Copyrights protect your brochures, books, pamphlets, machine drawings, illustrations, operating procedure manual and computer programs developed for your business. A copyright owner has the exclusive right to control the work's (a) reproduction, in whole or substantial part, in any material form (including electronic form), (b) public performance, (c)

public telecommunication, (d) publication, (e) translation, and (f) adaptation. The owner may also prohibit the distribution of unlawful copies.

The certificate of registration is deemed presumptive evidence that the registered owner owns the copyright and that the work is protected. Furthermore, a registration gives public notice of an owner's rights and may prevent an innocent infringement defense by unauthorized users of the work. For these reasons, registration certificates are beneficial in litigation proceedings and in warranting ownership of the copyright to prospective licensees of a work.

Naomi Assia Law Offices specializes in copyright infringement litigation and counseling, and has handled many anti piracy cases both in Israel and internationally.

The Firm's attorneys work regularly with clients to develop licensing arrangements, including distribution, OEM, and VAR agreements. The Firm also assists clients in filing copyright registrations in the United States Library of Congress.

Venture Capital and Private Equity Financing

The Firm represents national and international corporations in making strategic investments in various internet and technology related companies. We have wide experience negotiating and drafting related agreements including investor rights, stock and asset purchases, term sheets, bridge loans, warrants, executive employment, and incentive stock options. In addition, we conduct a large number of due diligence reviews.