The Polasek Law Firm (TPLF) is an intellectual property litigation law firm dedicated to providing exceptional legal service to companies and individuals. Its attorneys have 30 years of litigation experience, with over 25 years of experience in patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, and other commercial litigation. The focus of the firm’s practice is on patent and trademark litigation. The firm is also experienced in trademark applications, technology licensing, providing opinions, and general IP counsel.
When you find yourself embroiled in a dispute involving Intellectual Property, you need patent lawyers and trademark lawyers that have experience in handling those types of disputes. Please contact TPLF. The initial consultation is at no charge.
TPLF strives to provide exceptional service to every client, on every matter. TPLF is experienced in engineering that allows the firm to effectively represent clients in numerous technology areas. TPLF has extensive experience in litigating cases in courts all over the United States for clients from all over the world. At TPLF, clients receive one-on-one attention from the firm.
The Polasek Law Firm recognizes that clients expect quality legal representation at a reasonable price. The firm provides its clients with affordable representation at hourly rates significantly lower than those charged by big firms, and for certain matters provides result-oriented fee arrangements, such as a contingent fee option.
TPLF has years of experience in enforcing patents through patent litigation and licensing for clients seeking hourly or contingent fee representation and defending companies accused of violating the intellectual property rights of others.
Ted has litigated patent infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret, copyright infringement, and other commercial disputes over the past 30 years. Ted has litigated many patent infringement cases on behalf of patent owners and companies accused of infringement. He has also successfully negotiated patent licenses covering patent portfolios of more than 100 patents.
Ted understands that clients seek counsel that works efficiently and provide high-quality representation.
Polasek Law Firm has decades of experience handling cases in intellectual property and patent litigation.
Polasek Law Firm is located in Bellaire, Texas which is part of the Houston metroplex area, and concentrate in the area of intellectual property law, with an emphasis on litigation and licensing, specifically dealing with patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and trade secret lawsuits on a reasonable hourly basis, contingency fee or result based fee.
TPLF is experienced in mediation, rendering infringement and validity opinions, licensing and technology transfer, and client counseling.
Jan 11, 2026 | By Ted Polasek | Read Time: 5minutes
If you have an invention or idea you want to protect, it’s natural to wonder whether you need a patent lawyer — and what role one actually plays. While patents can be powerful business assets, the process of securing and enforcing them involves important strategic decisions that can affect long-term value. A patent lawyer helps inventors, entrepreneurs, and companies navigate the patent process, avoid common pitfalls, and protect innovations from misuse. From preparing applications to licensing and enforcement, legal guidance can play a critical role in whether a patent ultimately delivers real value. What Is a Patent? Patents can be used to protect any number of ideas and inventions, including: To be patentable, the invention must be original and nonobvious. Patents last from 15 to 20 years, depending on the type of patent. Do You Need a Lawyer to File a Patent Application? You can file a patent application on your own, but it is always a good idea to have a lawyer help you. When you write a patent application, you need to make sure your idea meets all the qualifications for a patent and that you describe it clearly enough to adequately protect it. For example, you need to: If you don’t prepare your application correctly, the patent office may reject it. Or even worse, the patent may not adequately protect your idea. Even if you want to do some of the initial draftings on your own, you should have an experienced patent lawyer review your application before you submit it. They can point out anything that might be missing or need more explanation. What Does a Patent Lawyer Do? A patent lawyer can help you with anything related to your patent, including obtaining the patent, licensing your invention, and protecting your patent from infringement. Obtaining a Patent As discussed above, a patent lawyer can draft or review your patent application and help you get your patent approved. Having a lawyer?s assistance as you apply for your patent can help speed along the process and ensure that your patent is adequately protected. If you’re unsure whether your application fully protects your idea, having an experienced patent attorney review it can help identify gaps before submission. Contact us today. Licensing In many cases, the person who creates an invention is not necessarily the person in the best position to manufacture, market, or sell it. Often, you will need to license your patent to actually earn money from it. There are many potential benefits of licensing your patent including: There are many options when it comes to licensing your patent. A patent attorney can advise you on the type of license that makes the most sense for your patent. They can also help you negotiate the license with prospective licensees so you can get more favorable terms. Some things you may discuss with your attorney include: Patent licenses are complex contracts. They include many detailed provisions that help define and protect your rights and those of the licensee. A patent lawyer can help structure licensing terms that align with your business goals and reduce future disputes. You do not want to sign a license agreement without consulting with an attorney. You deserve appropriate compensation for your ingenuity and creativity. Infringement A patent gives you the right to prevent others from using, making, or selling your invention. Nevertheless, there are always those who try to profit from the hard work of other people. If someone else infringes on your patent, it can drastically affect your ability to make money from your invention. However, you have the right to take legal action against patent infringers. If you believe someone has infringed on your patent, you should talk to a patent attorney right away. The longer the infringement continues, the more you stand to lose. Your attorney will likely start by sending a letter to the other party to insist that they stop infringing on your patent. If they refuse, then your attorney will file a complaint in court. They will also likely request a preliminary injunction that will require the other person to stop what they are doing until the matter can be resolved. Because time is of the essence and there may be a lot of money at stake, it is important to have an experienced patent litigator help you with this process. What Can a Patent Attorney at Polasek Law Do For You? John (Ted) Polasek has been practicing patent law for 30 years. His practice focuses on licensing patents and litigating patent infringement cases. Ted is committed to providing personalized service for each of his clients. This includes flexible fee arrangements that take the needs of individual clients into account. Ted offers a free consultation to discuss your patent-related questions. Contact our firm to schedule your consultation today. Trusted by Clients Navigating Patent Strategy Serving Clients Nationwide From Our Houston Office
Jan 7, 2026 | By Ted Polasek | Read Time: 4minutes
How to Trademark a Logo: What Business Owners Should Know A logo is a design, a stylized text, or both. It represents your business or product in a manner that is distinctive enough to set it apart from others. The Nike ”swoosh” symbol and the uniquely stylized lettering of the Coca-Cola trademark are two examples of internationally successful logos. Without the exclusive trademark rights attached to these logos, however, they would be commercially useless. Here are a few tips from our trademark registration attorney to make a great logo work for your business or product. For assistance, please send us a message or call (832) 485-3580 today. How a Trademark Lawyer Can Help With hundreds of design elements, the USPTO design element “alphabet” is unwieldy at best. Even if you manage to locate a close match, the question remains—exactly how close is close enough to be “confusingly similar”? Under these circumstances it is difficult to avoid the need to exercise the legal judgment that a lawyer can provide. How to Trademark a Logo 1. Focus on Uniqueness from the Design Stage The advantage of a logo over plain text is that a logo can make your business name stand out. It can incorporate a familiar image, such as a camel, or it can rely on stylized text. Some of the more successful logos merge both graphics and text. You need to use your logo the same way every time to effectively identify your product. However you present your logo, you must ensure that it is not easy to confuse with someone else’s. To receive protection, a logo must not create a “likelihood of confusion” to another logo in the market. 2. Thoroughly Research Your Logo to Confirm Its Uniqueness This task is a lot more difficult than it may appear at first. Sure, it is relatively easy to confirm the uniqueness of your logo’s text, if it has any. All you have to do is type your text into a search bar. The universally accepted alphabetical order will do the rest of the work for you by displaying the closest matches. But what about the design elements? The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), to its credit, has created an alternate “alphabetical order” for hundreds of design elements that may appear in a logo. It assigns codes to various design elements, which allow you to compare various design elements to determine how similar a given logo is to yours. 3. Register With the USPTO: Trademark a Logo Nationwide Logo registration at the federal level can be a tricky process. Nevertheless, getting a logo trademarked should be a priority for your business. A trademark lawyer should be able to provide you with some individualized trademarking tips that will help you maximize the value of your trademark. You file your trademark application with the USPTO. The Trademark Examiner will review the application and may issue an office action that will need a response. You can use your trademark in commerce without registering it with the USPTO. However, federal registration does offer the following benefits, among others: All things considered, it is much easier to enforce a registered trademark than a common law trademark. 4. Aggressively Enforce Your Rights A full arsenal of intellectual property rights will do you very little good if you don’t enforce your rights. Authorities such as US Customs and Border Protections will help you enforce some of your trademark rights. Most of the burden of enforcement, however, will fall on you and your trademark lawyer. You will need to continue monitoring the market, both domestically and internationally, to make sure that no one is infringing your trademark rights. If you discover infringement, you will need to execute an enforcement plan, which might include anything from a simple “cease and desist” letter to a full-blown trademark infringement lawsuit. 5. Make It Happen The experienced intellectual property lawyers at The Polasek Law Firm can assist you in protecting your brand. Although Texas common law can provide your logo with a degree of protection, USPTO registration is the best way to effectively protect trademarks nationwide. Speak With a Trademark Attorney About Protecting Your Logo If you’re interested in filing an application for a trademark, call The Polasek Law Firm at (832) 485-3580 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you! Recognized for Strategic Trademark Representation Visit Our Houston, Texas Office
Dec 16, 2025 | By Ted Polasek | Read Time: 3minutes
Intellectual property lawyers focus on helping you protect and profit from your ideas and creations. Intellectual property, or IP, plays a huge role in the United States economy. According to a report by the U.S. Commerce Department in 2016, IP-intensive industries account for 38.2%, or $6 trillion, of the United States? gross domestic product (GDP) and support at least 45 million U.S. jobs. In other words, there is a lot of money at stake when it comes to intellectual property. So it is important that you take the right steps to protect yours. An experienced IP lawyer can advise you on the best way to preserve your intellectual property rights and how to use them to grow your business. If you want to learn more about what an intellectual property lawyer does, keep reading. Talk With a Houston Intellectual Property Lawyer About Protecting Your Ideas What Does an IP Lawyer Do? An intellectual property lawyer can advise you on anything related to intellectual property. Common examples of intellectual property include: An IP lawyer can help you identify the type of protection you need for your intellectual property. They can also help you properly register your intellectual property and enforce your rights against infringement. When Should You Consult an Intellectual Property Attorney? Any time you have a question relating to intellectual property, you can rely on an experienced IP lawyer to advise you. However, there are a few specific situations when an intellectual property attorney will be most helpful. You Want to Protect Your Intellectual Property Intellectual property protection falls into four main categories: patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets. Sometimes you may need more than one type of protection for your intellectual property. In other situations, you may need to choose the type of protection that makes the most sense for your needs. An IP lawyer will advise you on how to protect your intellectual property in a manner that furthers your individual goals. They can also make sure you correctly register your IP and put appropriate procedures in place to preserve your rights. You Want to Stop Someone Else from Using Your Intellectual Property If someone infringes on your intellectual property rights, it is important to take prompt action. In some cases, sleeping on your rights can weaken or bar your IP claim. Additionally, allowing IP violations to go unchallenged can cost you licensing revenue, cut into your market share, or reduce the value of your product. Your attorney may start by asking the infringer to stop using your IP. If they refuse, then your attorney can file a lawsuit and enforce your rights in court. You Want to License Your Intellectual Property One of the ways to create revenue from your intellectual property is by licensing it to others. For example, a website might pay you a fee to use a photograph you took. Or you can sell a license to use software on a limited number of devices. Another way is to license your patent. Licensing your intellectual property can involve complicated agreements that define your rights and obligations as well as those of the licensee. Important terms may include: It is important to have an attorney draft or review the terms of any licensing agreement. Your attorney can help you negotiate favorable terms and understand how the agreement will affect you. What Clients Say About Our Intellectual Property Practice What Does an Intellectual Property Lawyer Do for You? When you hire an intellectual property lawyer at The Polasek Law Firm, you can feel confident that your IP will be protected. We advise clients in Houston and nationwide on intellectual property law matters. Attorney John (Ted) Polasek has been helping people to protect and benefit from their intellectual property for nearly 25 years. Ted understands how important responsive, hands-on service is to clients. Intellectual property can be a very personal thing, representing your individual creativity and ingenuity, and you need someone who will value your IP the way you do. Call or fill out an online form to schedule a free consultation with Ted, and learn how he can help you protect your ideas. Our Houston Office | Serving Clients Nationwide
