Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC, today announced the release of Apptorney: IP, a free iPhone® application for intellectual property professionals. Apptorney: IP puts a wide range of popular patent, trademark and copyright resources at users’ fingertips so they can stay connected and productive anywhere.

Intellectual Property attorneys increasingly rely on internet resources to manage dockets and monitor developments in the law. Users of Apptorney: IP can quickly search or monitor the status of trademark and patent applications, review relevant statutes, and keep up with popular intellectual property blogs.  In addition to organizing dozens of links to pages and resources at the USPTO, the app provides links to many international trademark and patent offices as well.

Erik Pelton, creator of the Apptorney: IP application, commented: “Apptorney: IP began as an idea to aggregate resources we use every day to save us time and allow us to better serve clients from out of the office. Once we realized how valuable the tools in this application are, we decided to share it with other intellectual property professionals. I use it to search USPTO records, check status of pending USPTO files, monitor popular patent and trademark blogs, and more.”

The design of Apptorney: IP allows for frequent updates and improvements. Erik M. Pelton & Associates plan to gradually adapt and expand the functionality of Apptorney: IP to meet the changing needs of intellectual property attorneys. “We are very excited about incorporating suggestions from our colleagues into the app,” says Pelton. “Hopefully others will view this as a new opportunity to collaborate to improve the quality of life for practitioners as well as the quality of service available to their clients.”

Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC, is a boutique trademark law firm in Falls Church, Virginia.  Mr. Pelton, a former trademark examiner at the Patent and Trademark Office, founded the firm in 1999. Since then the firm has registered more than 1,200 U.S. trademarks for clients, represented dozens of parties in Trademark Trial and Appeal Board disputes, practiced before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and spoken before many organization regarding the significance and value of intellectual property protection. Mr. Pelton has been named a Top 10 trademark filer by NameProtect’s Trademark Insider twice.

Apptorney: IP is available free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apptorney-ip/id369878225?mt=8.

Visit apptorney.com or erikpelton.com for more information.

Contact Information:
Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law
703-525-8009
emp@tm4smallbiz.com

The Falls Church Economic Development Authority has partnered with local intellectual property attorney Erik Pelton to obtain trademark protection for the city’s THE LITTLE CITYSM slogan and logos.  “We are proud to be a part of this exciting campaign to raise the visibility of Falls Church as a strong and vibrant community,” said Mr. Pelton, who donated his legal services to file three federal trademark applications on behalf of the EDA.

THE LITTLE CITYSM is a branding campaign developed by Falls Church marketing firm SmithGifford Communications. The campaign is featured in publicity for the 24th annual Washington Area Music Awards, known as “the WAMMIES,” and its February 28th awards show co-hosted by Kojo Nnamdi.  According to Mr. Pelton, as the city encourages local businesses and residents to embrace and promote the new slogan, trademark protection becomes increasingly important.  “There is only one ‘Big Apple’, and now there will be only one place known as ‘The Little City,’” he said. 

Mr. Pelton is the founder Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC, a boutique trademark law firm in Falls Church representing businesses and entrepreneurs around the world.  The firm has registered more than 1,000 trademarks, and has successfully represented clients in numerous trademark disputes.  More information about the firm is available at www.tm4smallbiz.com.

Contact Information:
Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law
703-525-8009
emp@tm4smallbiz.com

ALEXANDRIA, VA – April 18, 2007 – In 2006, Erik M. Pelton ranked sixth among all attorneys filing applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to the 2006 Annual Edition of NameProtect’s Trademark Insider®. For the third year in a row, Mr. Pelton has earned a top 10 ranking. In 2006, Mr. Pelton filed 381 trademark applications last year, and since 1999, has represented clients in more than 1,500 trademark applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Reached for comment, Mr. Pelton said, “I am honored to receive this award for a third consecutive year and look forward to providing affordable trademark services to even more small businesses in 2007. Increasingly, small businesses and entrepreneurs realize the importance and value of protecting their brand names and logos as they grow their business. Offering affordable legal services makes it possible for me to be an important element in their success.”

Asked what sets his trademark legal services apart from those of other attorneys, Mr. Pelton responded, “I offer flat fee all-inclusive rates and free consultations. I also offer a lot of free information on my website at www.tm4smallbiz.com, which allows small business owners to learn the basics of trademark protection without burdening their already hectic schedules. These qualities are attractive incentives for small business seeking to strengthen and protect their brands.”

In the past year, Mr. Pelton was also the attorney of record for dozens of copyright registration filings, conducted dozens of comprehensive trademark searches, successfully stopped multiple trademark infringers, assisted clients in reviewing intellectual property agreements, and filed international trademark applications in numerous countries.

Mr. Pelton began his trademark law practice and web site (www.tm4smallbiz.com) in 1999 with the goal of providing intellectual property expertise to small businesses. Now in his eighth year as a trademark and intellectual property attorney, Mr. Pelton has assisted hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses from around the country and the world successfully register and protect their trademarks. Prior to beginning his practice, Mr. Pelton gained extensive experience working as a trademark examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

NameProtect’s Trademark Insider® is a quarterly publication providing trademark information to the business and legal community.  Its annual report provides insight into overall trademark filing activity, a ranking of leading trademark law firms and companies, and an analysis of overall industry trends. Mr. Pelton’s firm, Erik M. Pelton, Attorney at Law also ranked #62 among all law firms for 2006 in the number of trademark applications filed.

To learn more about Mr. Pelton’s trademark services or to obtain assistance with registering a trademark, visit www.tm4smallbiz.com or call toll free 877-861-8686.

Contact Information:
Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law
703-525-8009
emp@tm4smallbiz.com

Erik M. Pelton & Associates (“EMP&A”) announced this week that its clients have now been issued more than fifteen hundred (1,500) U.S. trademark registrations. Since its founding in 1999 by former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) examiner Erik Pelton, EMP&A has excelled at providing cost effective and skilled trademark legal services to businesses and entrepreneurs of all sizes. Few other boutique law firms have succeeding in obtaining so may trademark registrations during the last decade.

To commemorate the milestone, EMP&A recently launched a new slogan: Experience is our trademark. Trademark is our experience.SM “While we are proud of achieving a milestone number of registrations, we are even more proud of the success achieved by many of our entrepreneur and small business clients” said Pelton. “We view our role in protecting their trademark and brand as helping to create a solid foundation on which to build their business.”

EMP&A has represented a diverse range of clients from at least 48 states and 15 countries,  including restaurants, law firms, software developers, race car drivers, real estate brokers, consultants, non-profits, farmers, beauty salons, associations, film studios, fashion designers, fitness clubs, radio and television programs, sports leagues, bands, toy companies, and many more. In addition to filing for USPTO registration, EMP&A advises clients on all aspects of brand creation, protection and infringement. “For clients interested in creating vibrant brands,” says Pelton, “we provide counseling and guidance based on the insight we have gained working with hundreds of businesses and brand names.”

“I particularly enjoy it when our clients succeed and their protected brand names are in the spotlight,” notes Pelton. For example, after President Obama and Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev  visited Ray’s Hell Burger® in Arlington, Virginia last year and the restaurant was featured prominently on national newscasts, Pelton worked with the owner to register the restaurant name to help prevent infringements and secure relevant social media user names and domain names.

Pelton is particularly proud of another accomplishment: each one of the 1,500 trademark registrations secured by EMP&A’s client was billed as a flat fee, without any hourly charges or hidden costs. According to Pelton, “Our flat fee clients appreciate never being surprised by an unexpected bill for our services.”

Erik Pelton is a widely quoted on small business trademark issues and launched the Apptorney® iPhone® app last year. Pelton also believes in practicing what he preaches; the firm owns multiple trademark registrations for its logo and for the names of its IPelton® blog and smar(tm)ark® newsletter. Learn more about EMP&A at www.tm4smallbiz.com.

Contact Information:
Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law
703-525-8009
emp@tm4smallbiz.com

ALEXANDRIA, VA – June 1, 2006 – Erik M. Pelton was ranked #6 on a list of the Top 25 US Trademark Attorneys in the 2005 Annual Edition of NameProtect’s Trademark Insider®.  In 2005, Mr. Pelton filed more than 350 applications for U.S. trademark registration on behalf of small and medium sized businesses from across the country and around the world. Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law was also recognized in the Top 10 Law Firm Advances category for 2005.

Reached for comment, Mr. Pelton said, “I am honored to receive this award and look forward to providing professional and affordable trademark services to even more small businesses in 2006 and beyond. I truly enjoy helping small businesses obtain maximum trademark protection, especially when they cannot afford the same legal budget as Fortune 500 companies. I recently upgraded the tm4smallbiz.com website so that new clients who are unfamiliar with trademarks can easily find informational links as well as simple forms to get them started with trademark registration.”

Mr. Pelton began his trademark law practice and web site (www.tm4smallbiz.com) in 1999 with the goal of providing intellectual property expertise to small businesses. Now in his seventh year as a trademark and intellectual property attorney, Mr. Pelton has assisted hundreds of businesses successfully register and protect their trademarks. Prior to beginning his practice, Mr. Pelton gained extensive experience working as a trademark examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Mr. Pelton’s practice is focused on providing professional and personal customer service as well as affordable, quality legal assistance.

NameProtect’s Trademark Insider® is a quarterly publication providing trademark information to the business and legal community.  Its annual report provides insight into overall trademark filing activity, a ranking of leading trademark law firms and companies, and an analysis of overall industry trends.

To learn more about Mr. Pelton’s trademark services or to obtain assistance with registering a trademark, visit www.tm4smallbiz.com or call toll free 877-861-8686.

Contact Information:
Erik Pelton, Attorney at Law
703-525-8009
emp@tm4smallbiz.com