About Rick Martin

Since I was a kid I have enjoyed taking things apart to find out how they work. While this “skill” might have been annoying to my mom when it came time to vacuum, it’s a great asset to inventors who need someone to figuratively tear their idea apart and put it into words that the patent office understands – something I also know a lot about, since I previously worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. For over 25 years, I have been helping entrepreneurs and businesses protect their ideas, inventions and identities through patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and related contracts, licenses and agreements.

Occasionally when I take something apart and put it back together, there are parts left over – something I like to refer to as “improvements.” While some may consider this claim dubious – particularly when the “improvement” I made to my bicycle after a cycling trip to France resulted in me being launched over the handlebars on my first ride back in the States – I am constantly improving the intellectual property portfolios of my clients, bringing value to their ideas, inventions and identities. I regularly advise and assist clients in identifying and protecting inventions with patents as well as navigating the mine field of competitor patents that may affect their ability to commercialize their ideas. I have obtained hundreds of patents for inventors in a variety of fields, including timing systems, mine safety devices, broadband antennas, RFID, electronics, ranging, oil & gas, semiconductors, and other mechanical and electro-mechanical devices. I have also worked with clients to acquire, protect and enforce their rights to valuable trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University – Boiler Up!, and a J.D. from Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. After working for large law firms in Texas, my fierce independence got the best of me and I decided to return to my Midwestern roots where I founded Martin IP Law Group.