The Murrieta, California office of Fargo Patent & Business Law opened on November 22, 2021, adding a Southern California presence to a firm with offices across North Dakota, Colorado, and the Mountain West. What distinguishes the Murrieta branch is its lead attorney’s background: Martin Vu spent more than 18 years working in utility operations and supervisory roles for Fortune 200 energy clients before becoming a lawyer, an engineering and operations background that directly shapes how he approaches intellectual property protection for inventors and technology-adjacent businesses.
The Murrieta office is located at 25185 Madison Avenue, Suite A, Murrieta, California 92562. The firm can be reached at (951) 331-3911.
What the Firm Does
Fargo Patent & Business Law focuses on two areas: protecting intellectual property and supporting business operations. The combination is deliberate. For clients who are inventors, entrepreneurs, or technology-based companies, IP strategy and business structure are not separate concerns. The firm’s approach treats them together.
Patent Law
The firm handles patent prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including utility patents (for new and useful processes, machines, or compositions of matter), design patents (for ornamental aspects of functional products), and plant patents. Work includes patent application preparation, prosecution through the USPTO examination process, responding to office actions, and advising on claim scope and prosecution strategy.
Trademark Services
Brand protection through trademark registration is part of the firm’s offering. This includes clearance searches before filing to assess availability of a mark, application preparation and filing with the USPTO, and monitoring for infringing uses that could dilute brand value.
Trade Secrets Protection
For clients whose competitive advantage lies in confidential processes, formulas, or business information, the firm develops legal strategies to protect trade secrets. This includes employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and internal policies that establish and protect trade secret status under California and federal law.
Business Law
The firm handles entity formation, contract drafting and review, business transactions, and business sales. For clients who are both inventors and business owners, this service integrates with IP planning to ensure that ownership of intellectual property is properly structured within the business entity.
Intellectual Property Strategy
Beyond individual patent or trademark filings, the firm conducts IP audits and develops strategic plans. This involves identifying what a client owns, assessing what is protectable, and building a framework to maximize the value of the IP portfolio over time.
Attorney Profile
Martin Vu is the Branch Partner at the Murrieta office, serving the West Coast region. He holds a B.S. in Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology from Cal Poly Pomona, an MBA from Cal Poly Pomona, a J.D. from Trinity Law School, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from UC Irvine. He also holds a Certified Water Efficiency Professional designation. He is licensed with the State Bar of California.
Before entering law, Martin Vu worked for more than 18 years in utility operations and supervisory roles for Fortune 200 energy clients. That professional history is relevant to patent work: understanding the technical aspects of an invention is necessary to drafting patent claims that accurately describe and protect it. Attorneys who have worked in engineering and operations can evaluate inventions at a technical level rather than relying entirely on client descriptions.
Firm Credentials and Ratings
Fargo Patent & Business Law holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Client testimonials on record cite the firm’s responsiveness and support for small businesses and individual inventors.
Location and Reach
The Murrieta office serves intellectual property clients throughout Southern California and, for matters before the USPTO, clients nationally. The firm also handles California business law matters regionally. Additional firm offices in Fargo, North Dakota and Colorado Springs, Colorado serve clients in the Mountain West, Minnesota, and North Dakota regions.
Office hours at the Murrieta location are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The firm’s website is fargopatentlaw.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of patents does the firm handle?
The firm handles utility patents (for inventions that are new, useful, and non-obvious), design patents (for ornamental product designs), and plant patents. The type of patent depends on what is being protected. Martin Vu’s engineering background is relevant particularly for utility patents, which require technically accurate claim drafting.
Does a business need to be based in California to work with the Murrieta office?
For patent and trademark matters before the USPTO, the firm works with clients nationally regardless of location. For California business law matters, geographic relevance applies. Clients outside California can contact the firm to discuss whether their needs fall within the firm’s federal practice areas.
What is an IP audit?
An IP audit is a structured review of a company’s or individual’s intellectual property assets to identify what exists, what is protected, what may be protectable, and where gaps exist. The firm conducts IP audits and uses the results to build strategic plans tailored to each client’s business goals.
How does trade secret protection differ from patent protection?
A patent provides public, government-granted protection for a limited time (typically 20 years for utility patents) in exchange for public disclosure of the invention. Trade secret protection is indefinite but depends entirely on maintaining secrecy. The right choice depends on the nature of the information and the client’s business situation. The firm evaluates both options and recommends the approach that best serves each client’s interests.
Is the firm available for startups and individual inventors, or primarily larger businesses?
The firm’s client reviews and BBB profile reflect a focus on small businesses and individual inventors alongside larger clients. Martin Vu’s engineering and project management background makes the firm accessible to clients who are technical but not legal experts.
The Murrieta office can be reached by phone at (951) 331-3911 or through the firm website at fargopatentlaw.com.