Sean Goodwin

I am a licensed patent attorney with the USPTO. If you have an idea for an invention and want to start a company based on that idea, I can help get your idea off the ground.

I help entrepreneurs start a business, register their intellectual property (i.e., patents, trademarks, copyrights), draft/negotiate any commercial contract agreements (e.g., employment, lease, distributor, services, licenses, assignments, website terms/privacy, etc.). I also have experience with marketing/advertising review for products and services (e.g., website review for legal liability). Specifically, I help healthcare companies with FDA and FTC regulatory review of foods, beverages, dietary supplements, cosmetics, drugs, and medical devices. If you need help with the language on your product labels/packaging, I can help.

If you are an established business, I can be your outside general counsel.

Please learn more about me at www.seangoodwinlegal.com.

Washington University School of Law

LL.M. (2012) | Intellectual Property and Technology Law

2011 - 2012

Activities: Student Council of LL.M. Class

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

J.D. (2008) | Certificate in Intellectual Property Law

2005 - 2008

Honors: Dean's List

Activities: Brehon Law Society

Loyola University Chicago

B.S. (2000) | Chemistry, Emphasizing Biochemistry

1995 - 1999

Of Counsel

Lexern Law Group

2022 - Current

Counsel business owners, licensed professionals, and their families concerning a broad range of business and estate planning matters, including business organizations, business sales and acquisitions, business succession planning, and estate planning.

Managing Attorney

Goodwin Legal Services

2010 - Current

Entrepreneurial Legal Services · Business formation (LLC, Corporation, Partnership) and Operating Agreements. · Counseling, procurement, and maintenance of Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights. · Protect and enforce intellectual property using Cease & Desist Letters, ICANN Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, and App Store dispute resolution procedures. · Drafting/Negotiation of Contractual Agreements (e.g., licenses, assignments, leases, employment, independent contractor, privacy policies, non-disclosure, confidentiality, terms of use, podcast release, testimonials, copyright work-for-hire, etc.). · FDA/FTC Regulatory Compliance of foods, beverages, dietary supplements, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics. · Liability review of marketing/advertising of goods services.

Trademark Law Basics and Recent Supreme Court Updates, Union League Club of Chicago

April 10, 2024

ULC Chicago Lawyer's Group

Presentation on Trademark Law basics for non-legal guests, focusing on alcohol-related trademarks, trends in the industry, and the impact of the recent Supreme Court Case "Jack Daniel's Properties v. VIP Products" in which trademark parody law was clarified. In essence, trademarks are a source designator and trademark parodies of famous marks may not be used for commercial purposes.

Patent Attorney

United States Patent and Trademark Office

2010

Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC)

Member

2024 - 2025

Illinois

Supreme Court of Illinois

Since 2008

• Free Consultation
  30 Minute Confidential Phone/Video Call
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Flexible payment plans available. Hourly Rate Prorated (6 minute increments / 0.1 hours). Venmo, QuickPay, Zelle Accepted.

Q. can I contact an inventor of a patent?

December 8, 2024

A: Yes, you can contact the inventor. Most inventors assign (i.e., sell) their patent. So, you should contact the owner of the patent instead.

If the owner of a patent in a foreign country does not have a correlating patent in the United States, then you are free to make, use, and sell the invention in the U.S. However, you are not allowed to sell the invention to anyone in a country where the patent is registered until the the term expires.

I highly recommend that you hire a patent attorney to perform a patent search to discover everything about the patent family and determine if you need to contact the current owner of the Australian patent.

Q. This guy didn’t invent this lure How was he able to patent a product? He took general product and claimed as his own

December 6, 2024

A: I don't know which patent or lure you are speaking of, but occasionally the patent examiner will make a mistake and register a patent which is obvious or not novel. There is a procedure at the USPTO to contest a registered patent if you can provide documentation (aka, prior art) that was not considered during the examination which would invalidate the registration. For example, if you have old fishing catalogs that clearly show every aspect of the patented invention, and the catalogs predate the filing date of the application by more than one year, then you can initiate the proceeding. I would highly recommend retaining a patent lawyer to help you navigate the proceeding process.

Q. If I applied for a patent in US, then somebody stole it and done it in another country, like China as example, then if I

December 5, 2024

A: Patent treaties between countries do not allow this to happen (generally). Patents are country-specific and allow you to make, use, sell, and prevent others from doing the same in that country.

Requirements to get a patent:

1) Able to be used (the invention must work and cannot just be a theory)

2) New, or “novel” (something not done before)

3) “Not obvious,” as related to a change to something already invented

4) A clear description of how to make and use the invention (i.e., get help from a patent practitioner)

Your hypothetical ignores the second requirement, because the inventor must race to the patent office to be first in line. You have one year from the date of your patent application to file in other countries. If the patent examiner finds any evidence that there is a printed publication ANYWHERE in the world that predates your application, it is considered "prior art" that will prevent you from registering your patent either under the second requirement or the third requirement (when multiple publications are combined to result in your invention).

However, any country that you do not get a registered patent treats your application as publicly available so long as the invention is made in that country and is not exported to a country where your patent is enforceable.

So, if you register your patent in Egypt but not the U.S., then anyone in the U.S. can make your invention and sell it everywhere but Egypt. ... Read More