About JHK Law
JHK Law is a small-sized patent law firm assisting our clients in procuring and developing domestic and international patent portfolios with high expertise. We specialize in biotechnology as well as simple mechanical patents.
Why choose usCare and attention
Our clients receive great care and attention. Our fees are reasonable compared with larger firms but with no sacrifice in quality.
Our missionEducated guidance
Our mission is to provide clients with the educated guidance needed to develop an innovation from concept stage through realization in the marketplace.
What we doOpen communication
A fundamental value at JHK Law is the importance of frequent and direct communication between the client and our firm.
Services
Patent Application Drafting
Since an inventive idea needs to be written down on paper so that a patent certificate can be granted on it, we work in close contact with the inventor to draft a patent application that covers all of the various aspects of the invention that the inventor has in mind. We guide the inventor to visualize the full breadth of the inventor’s ideas so that the full scope of the invention is covered in the patent application.
Patent Counseling
As issues arise regarding changes in U.S. and international patent laws as it pertains to our client's business, we advise our clients to strategically deal with them.
Patent Due Diligence
When our client wishes to invest in, merge with, or purchase a business having a valuable patent portfolio, we conduct an investigation into the patent portfolio to understand its strengths and weaknesses.
Legal Opinion On Patent Matters
From a business standpoint, occasionally a client company is made aware of a competitor’s patent that perhaps may cover the technology of our client. We review the patent portfolio of the competitor and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the competitor’s patent portfolio. This allows our client to move forward with its technology development with an educated view of the patent landscape with an awareness of its position in that space.
Process
Every patent issue that is of concern to our client begins with a phone call or an email to us.If you are a new client with what you believe is a valuable invention worth patent protection, you can call us and you are welcome to sit down with us and freely discuss your invention with us for about an hour. This time is free to you to ask whatever you wish. We will give you our honest opinion based on our knowledge of the business environment, the nature of your invention, the patentability of your invention, the licensability of your invention, and the financial obligations that will be required to obtain the patent.
We may even give you homework. We may not be able to answer some of your questions, which would require actual heavy legal analysis specific to your particular situation. But we can certainly point you in the right direction. We do not discuss the nature of our conversation with you to any third party. But because at this point you are not officially our client, you should take care to not disclose too much to us, not only to protect yourself but also to protect us from any possible suspicion that our firm has leaked information to any third party.
Joseph Hyosuk Kim, Ph.D., J.D.
Prior to founding JHK Law, Dr. Kim practiced at various large law firms including McDermott, Will & Emery, and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, as well as the patent boutique law firm of Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch. Dr. Kim was also a Patent Examiner at the US Patent Office in the biotechnology group for many years.
Dr. Kim’s technical expertise is mainly in the areas of biotechnology, nanotechnology, chemistry, biomedical devices, and simple mechanical patents. Dr. Kim has experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications; counseling and strategizing with clients regarding patent and licensing matters; rendering patentability, validity and non-infringement opinions; conducting intellectual property due diligence; drafting and negotiating license agreements; and managing portfolio of domestic and foreign applications.
Certain major areas of his work include protecting inventions in the areas having to do with stem cell generation, gene therapy, cancer treatment, as well as nanotechnology and immunodiagnostics. Other areas include procuring patents for footwear and padding material, which have been successfully licensed by a large company.
Being a bilingual and having grown up in the U.S., Dr. Kim is especially adept at bridging the cultural barriers between American and Korean businesses in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical areas.
Education
- University of Maryland
School of Law, J.D., 1996 - The Johns Hopkins University
Department of Biology, Ph.D., 1991 - Princeton University
Biochemistry, A.B., 1984
Admissions
- State Bar of Maryland
- State Bar of California
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
Memberships
- AIPLA
- ABA IP section
Spoken Languages
- English
- Korean