Patent Counsel for Software, AI & Emerging Tech

Most patent attorneys learned technology after law school. Brian started with technology, built companies around it, and later returned to patent law.

When you brief most patent attorneys, you spend the first hour teaching them your field — and you still leave wondering whether they grasped the part that actually matters. The claims that follow are drawn around what was easy to describe, not what is genuinely novel.

That is the gap this practice was built to close. 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.

Why founders work with Brian Longest

A combination of skills you rarely find in one attorney.

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.

From idea to investment

Most patent attorneys stop at the filing. A patent is also a business asset — and it should be built like one.

Fundraising

Patents signal defensibility and seriousness to the investors evaluating your round.

ii.

Competitive advantage

Protect the technical edge competitors would otherwise copy or design around.

iii.

Company valuation

A well-built portfolio becomes a tangible asset on your company's balance sheet.

iv.

Investor confidence

Clear IP ownership and strategy reduces diligence risk and strengthens your position.

Long-term strategy

IP that grows with the company through every stage, round, and product line.

Who we help

Built for the companies defining their categories.

If you are building technology that gives your company an advantage, you are the kind of client this practice is designed for.

Software Startups

AI Companies

SaaS Platforms

FinTech Companies

Blockchain & Digital Asset Companies

Technology Entrepreneurs

Venture-Backed Startups

Emerging Technology Companies

Technology focus

Built for inventions where the value lives in the technology.

No. 01

Software

Web applications, SaaS platforms, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise systems.

No. 02

Artificial Intelligence

Machine learning systems, AI workflows, automation platforms, and intelligent software.

No. 03

Emerging Technologies

Blockchain, digital assets, cybersecurity, data platforms, fintech, and other innovative technologies.

Services

Strategic counsel — not commodity filings.

Patent work that is connected to your business: how you compete, how you raise, and how you grow.

Patent Strategy

Building a patent roadmap aligned with your business objectives.

ii.

Patent Applications

Preparation and prosecution of U.S. patent applications.

iii.

Portfolio Development

Creating patent portfolios that support growth and investment.

iv.

Startup IP Counsel

Ongoing guidance for founders and emerging companies.

Due Diligence Support

IP analysis for financing, investors, acquisitions, and strategic transactions.

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Brian Longest, patent attorney and founder of Longest IP

The counsel

The patent attorney who understands your technology and your business.

Brian Longest started writing software as a kid and never really stopped. He earned a computer science degree, went directly to law school, and was practicing patent law before graduating in 1997 — first for an established patent attorney, then at his own firm, which he later merged into a larger practice.

He then spent the better part of two decades on the other side of the table: writing software, founding companies, and participating in venture capital fundraising — including an early internet company built as the web was first taking shape. From one venture to the next, he lived the realities his clients now face.

Today he has returned to patent law by choice. That combination — engineer, founder, fundraiser, and attorney — provides perspective that extends well beyond patent drafting alone.

USPTO Registered Virginia State Bar B.S. Computer Science Juris Doctor · 1997 Venture-Backed Founder

— Brian Longest

Brian LongestFounder · Longest IP

The conversation

Hire the attorney you'll never have to explain it to.

If you're building something worth protecting in software, AI, blockchain, or emerging technology, the first step is a confidential conversation.

Discuss your invention, software platform, AI system, or patent strategy directly with Brian Longest.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation → View Services

Patent counsel for software, AI & emerging technology companies.