Computer Scientist. Patent Attorney. Venture-Backed Founder. Longest IP is a patent law firm that protects the software, AI, crypto and fintech inventions of the founders building them, across every distributed ledger architecture, blockchain and beyond.
I understand technology because I built technology. I understand startups because I built startups. I understand patents because I practice patent law.
When you brief Brian, he can follow your code and architecture directly, so the conversation can start with what is new in your invention.
That is how the firm was built. Brian Longest is a computer scientist and software engineer who founded technology companies and participated in venture capital fundraising. The technology, the startup, and the patent strategy are not three different conversations — they are one.
So when you explain your architecture, your model, or your platform, Brian is not translating. He is evaluating it the way an engineer, a founder, and a fundraiser would — and then drafting protection that holds up where it counts.
Computer Science degreeTrained as an engineer, fluent in how modern software is actually built.
Registered patent attorneyUSPTO-registered and Virginia-barred, focused on technology inventions.
Startup founder experienceHas built companies and lived the realities founders face.
Venture capital experienceHas participated in venture fundraising and understands the investor lens.
Reads source code & architectureUnderstands your system directly — not just a disclosure form.
Speaks to every stakeholderCommunicates clearly with inventors, engineers, investors, and executives.
Patents can support your IP strategy with the investors evaluating your round.
A granted patent may provide enforceable rights against others practicing the claimed invention.
Clear IP ownership and strategy can reduce diligence risk.
IP that grows with the company through every stage, round, and product line.
Longest IP is a patent law firm for software, AI, crypto, blockchain and fintech companies. Brian Longest is a patent attorney for startups who was a developer and a founder first: a computer science degree, a J.D. in 1997, then the better part of two decades founding technology companies and helping raise venture capital. Founders looking for a software patent lawyer, an AI patent attorney or a crypto patent attorney work directly with him, and so do blockchain and fintech companies, from the first patentability search to the application the USPTO examines.
Longer answers live in the patent guides: how to patent an app, the provisional patent application and what a software patent attorney does.
A patent attorney, or patent lawyer, protects your invention with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). At Longest IP the work runs from a first filing to ongoing counsel: a patentability search to help assess your invention against identified prior art, a provisional application to establish a filing date for what it discloses, the full non-provisional application the USPTO examines toward a granted patent, and patent strategy tied to your product and funding. See the patent services.
A provisional application establishes a filing date for what it discloses and lets you describe the invention as patent pending. The non-provisional application is the full utility application the USPTO examines toward a granted patent. Both are described on the patent services page.
Engagements are fixed-scope and flat-fee: a defined price for a defined scope, so you know the cost before the work begins. Office actions and work that does not fit a box are handled flat-fee or hourly.
No. Longest IP works with technology companies across the United States and around the world that need U.S. patent protection, working remotely. See how a remote patent attorney works with you.
Yes. The practice focuses on software inventions: AI and machine learning, crypto and blockchain, and fintech, including payments and trading systems. As a software patent attorney who has written software and founded companies, Brian Longest works directly with the founders and engineers building them. See the patent services.
Yes. The first conversation is confidential and no-obligation. Please do not send confidential documents until a formal engagement is in place. Book a patent consultation.
Brian Longest started with technology: a B.S. in computer science, a J.D. in 1997, then the better part of two decades founding technology companies and helping raise venture capital, and he is a registered U.S. patent attorney. When you explain your architecture, model or platform, he can follow it without translation and weigh the business goals behind the application.
Longest IP is a founder-led patent law firm. Brian Longest is a registered patent attorney, USPTO-registered and Virginia-barred, with a B.S. in computer science and a J.D. Founders building software, AI, crypto, blockchain and fintech inventions work directly with him, from the first patentability search to the application the USPTO examines.
Longest IP is a founder-led patent law firm, so you work directly with Brian Longest, and the firm works remotely. Engagements are generally fixed-scope and flat-fee: a defined price for a defined scope, so you know the cost before the work begins. The work runs from the first patentability search to the application the USPTO examines. Office actions are handled flat-fee or hourly.
Longest IP is a patent law firm for software, AI, crypto, blockchain and fintech companies. The work runs from a patentability search that helps assess your invention against identified prior art, to a provisional application that establishes a filing date for what it discloses, to the full non-provisional application the USPTO examines. Brian Longest, a computer scientist and software engineer, works directly with you.
Yes. At Longest IP the work runs from a patentability search to the non-provisional application the USPTO examines, plus patent strategy tied to your product and funding. A patent is also a business asset: a granted patent may give you enforceable rights against others practicing the claimed invention, and it can carry weight in fundraising.
Software inventions can be patentable if they meet the patent requirements, including subject-matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. 101, but not all software qualifies. Longest IP works on software inventions, including AI and machine learning, crypto and blockchain, and fintech, such as payments and trading systems. A patentability search helps assess your invention against identified prior art. A provisional application can then establish a filing date for what it discloses, and the full non-provisional application is what the USPTO examines toward a granted patent.
It helps, because a software invention often turns on how the code and architecture actually work. Brian Longest is a computer scientist and software engineer who reads source code and architecture, so he can work from your system directly, not just a disclosure form.
Yes. Brian Longest is USPTO-registered and Virginia-barred, and you work directly with him from the first patentability search to the non-provisional application the USPTO examines. Engagements are fixed-scope and flat-fee, so you know the cost before the work begins. Office actions and work that does not fit a box are handled flat-fee or hourly.
Patents can support your IP strategy, point to a potential competitive advantage and come up in investor due diligence. Clear IP ownership and strategy can reduce diligence risk, but a patent does not guarantee defensibility or a higher valuation, and its commercial value varies widely. Brian Longest has participated in venture fundraising and understands the investor lens, so patent strategy is tied to your product and funding.
Founders looking for an AI patent attorney work directly with Brian Longest, a computer scientist and software engineer who is USPTO-registered and Virginia-barred. The practice covers AI and machine learning inventions, from a patentability search that helps assess your invention against identified prior art, to a provisional application that establishes a filing date for what it discloses and may benefit a later application, to the full non-provisional application the USPTO examines.
General information only, not legal advice.
Pick a time on the consultation page. The first conversation is confidential and no-obligation.