Intellectual Property Lawyer in Tulsa

Intellectual property law protects what your business creates: trademarks (your name, logo, and brand identity), copyrights (software, content, designs, media), patents (inventions and processes), and trade secrets (confidential know-how, from formulas to customer data). Each regime protects different things on different timelines, and the most expensive IP mistakes are timing mistakes: publicly disclosing an invention starts a one-year clock on US patent rights and can destroy foreign rights immediately; launching a brand without a clearance search invites a rebrand after you've built recognition; letting contractors work without IP assignment clauses leaves ownership of your own product ambiguous. An IP lawyer's work is half protection — registrations, contracts, policies — and half enforcement or defense when someone copies your work or accuses you of copying theirs.

Tulsa is Oklahoma's second-largest city, with an economy rooted in energy and aerospace; following McGirt v. Oklahoma, questions of tribal jurisdiction also affect more criminal and civil matters in this region than almost anywhere else in the country.

Verified intellectual property lawyers serving Tulsa

Attorneys licensed in Oklahoma can represent clients anywhere in the state — those based in or serving Tulsa are listed first.

Jay MohServes TulsaCorporate Law · 5 yrs experience · San DiegoServes clients nationwide (federal patent and trademark law)Free consultLanguages: English, Korean

Othon Nuñez-MontelongoServes TulsaCorporate Law · 7 yrs experience · ManhattanServes clients nationwide (federal patent and trademark law; federal tax law)Consultation from $250Languages: English, Spanish

When to hire an intellectual property lawyer

The cheapest IP advice is the kind you get before acting. Concrete triggers: before naming or renaming a company or product (a clearance search costs far less than a forced rebrand), before publicly demonstrating or selling anything you might patent, before signing any contract that touches IP ownership — especially with contractors and agencies — and immediately upon receiving a cease-and-desist letter or noticing someone using your brand or copying your product. If you receive an infringement accusation, don't respond on your own: an inadvertent admission in a friendly email can shape the entire dispute.

Common matters they handle

Trademark clearance, registration, and disputes
Copyright registration and infringement claims
Patent applications and patentability opinions
Trade secret protection and NDA disputes
IP licensing and technology agreements
Cease-and-desist letters (sending and responding)

Intellectual Property Lawyer FAQ

What's the difference between a trademark, copyright, and patent?

Trademarks protect brand identifiers — names, logos, slogans — so customers aren't confused about who they're buying from; they can last indefinitely with use and renewal. Copyrights protect creative works — code, writing, designs, media — automatically upon creation, though registration is required before suing in the US. Patents protect inventions and processes for roughly 20 years in exchange for public disclosure, and require formal application. Most businesses need at least the first two.

How much does it cost to register a trademark?

Government filing fees run a few hundred dollars per class of goods or services, and attorney fees for a search and application typically add several hundred to a couple thousand more. The search is the part worth paying for — filing on a mark that conflicts with an existing registration wastes the fee and can invite a dispute. Registration typically takes many months, so file early.

Do I need a patent lawyer, or can I file myself?

Patent drafting is its own profession — patent attorneys and agents pass a separate federal exam — and claim language determines whether a patent is enforceable or trivially avoidable. Self-filed applications frequently issue with claims too narrow to matter. If budget is tight, consider a provisional application drafted with professional help to secure a date, then decide on the full application within the year.

Someone is copying my product or brand. What now?

Document everything first: screenshots with dates, purchases of the infringing product, records of your own prior use. Then let a lawyer choose the escalation path — platform takedowns (often fastest for online copying), a cease-and-desist letter, marketplace complaints, or litigation. Going public or sending your own angry letter first can backfire; measured pressure with evidence attached resolves many disputes without a lawsuit.