Fill Out The Form To Be Connected Instantly to the Patent Infringement Attorney Needed In Your Case!
Ready to talk to someone about an intellectual property matter in Williston? The form above connects you directly, no need to read everything below first.
Which federal court lists Williams County
Williston is in Williams County, and the federal court for North Dakota lists that county under its Western Division. The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota gives 220 East Rosser Ave. #476, Bismarck, ND 58501-3869 as the address its pages list for Williams County, with a mailing address of PO Box 1193, Bismarck, ND 58502-1193. That is a county listing published by the court, and it does not settle where any one dispute can be brought.
Federal venue rules decide where a particular case can be filed, and some claims can be heard in state court. A claim for patent infringement is one that must be filed in federal court (28 U.S.C. 1338(a)). Because the court’s listing is a county list and nothing more, an attorney should confirm the court and the division before anything is filed.
Trademarks and trade secrets under North Dakota law
A North Dakota trademark or service mark is registered with the Secretary of State through a signed application. The application names the owner, the goods or services and their class, the dates of first use anywhere and in North Dakota, and a statement of ownership. It comes with a specimen or facsimile of the mark in duplicate. A registration lasts ten years from the registration date and can be renewed for further ten year periods.
The main uses of a state registration are a public state record, proof of registration in state court, and the state infringement remedies of injunction, profits and damages found in N.D.C.C. ch. 47-22. A federal registration is available under 15 U.S.C. 1051.
Trade secrets have their own statute. North Dakota’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act defines a trade secret as information, such as a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process, that gets independent economic value from not being generally known or readily ascertainable by proper means. The owner must also have made reasonable efforts to keep it secret. A misappropriation claim must be brought within three years after the misappropriation is discovered or should have been discovered with reasonable diligence, and a continuing misappropriation counts as a single claim.
The federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, at 18 U.S.C. 1836, lets the owner of a trade secret sue in federal court under that statute. Under 18 U.S.C. 1836(b), the secret must be related to a product or service used in, or intended for use in, interstate or foreign commerce.
Employers and research that shape local disputes
This page does not describe any single Williston employer, so the local picture here comes from institutions with official pages. The Small Business Development Center run through Williston State College has its regional director’s office at 113 4th Street East in Williston. The college’s page for the center says the office covers Divide, Burke, Williams, Mountrail and McKenzie counties and is open to help new and existing business owners with business plans, cash flows and loan preparations. Those are business planning questions, while ownership of a brand or an invention is a question for an attorney.
North Dakota State University operates the Williston Research Extension Center at 14120 Hwy 2 in Williston. The center’s contact page lists a dryland research agronomist, a horticulture research specialist and a plant pathologist among its staff. If you work with a university research program, in Williston or elsewhere, you can ask an attorney how the school’s policies on inventions and ownership apply to your work.
Williston State College, a two year public college at 1410 University Avenue, announced in September 2026 a $373,701 National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant to expand technician training for the Bakken region. That is an announcement of funding, not a finished program.
Deadlines that run no matter where you live
Some time limits come from federal law, so they are the same in Williston as in any other town. Damages for patent infringement can be recovered for the six years before the suit is filed, and no further back (35 U.S.C. 286). A civil copyright claim must be brought within three years after it accrued (17 U.S.C. 507(b)). A United States work generally must be registered, or refused registration by the Copyright Office, before an infringement suit can be filed (17 U.S.C. 411(a)).
Protecting your work in Williston? Get matched with an attorney now.
Your next step
Before you talk to an attorney, write down when you made, shared, sold or published the work, who else worked on it, and any signed agreement that mentions it. For a view across the state, see North Dakota intellectual property attorneys. To start, you can get matched with an intellectual property attorney.
Facing an infringement dispute in Williston? Find out where your matter stands.
Related Intellectual Property Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
What does North Dakota law say about an agreement that keeps someone from working in a trade?
N.D.C.C. 9-08-06 voids any contract that restrains a person from a lawful profession, trade or business to that extent. It has two exceptions: a seller of a business’s goodwill (and its partners, members or shareholders) who agrees with the buyer not to carry on a similar business within a reasonable area and time, and partners, members or shareholders who agree not to compete on or in anticipation of a dissolution, a dissociation, or the sale of an ownership interest. An attorney should read your agreement and confirm how the statute applies to it.
Where can a new business owner in Williston get help with a business plan?
The Small Business Development Center run through Williston State College has its regional director’s office at 113 4th Street East in Williston. The college’s page says the office covers Divide, Burke, Williams, Mountrail and McKenzie counties and is open to help new and existing business owners with business plans, cash flows and loan preparations. Questions about who owns a brand or an invention belong with an attorney.
What research and training programs are in Williston?
North Dakota State University operates the Williston Research Extension Center at 14120 Hwy 2, and its staff list includes a dryland research agronomist, a horticulture research specialist and a plant pathologist. Williston State College announced in September 2026 a $373,701 National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant to expand technician training for the Bakken region. The news item announces funding, not a finished program.
Can a stolen trade secret be the subject of a federal claim?
The federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, at 18 U.S.C. 1836, lets the owner of a trade secret sue in federal court under that statute. The secret must be related to a product or service used in, or intended for use in, interstate or foreign commerce (18 U.S.C. 1836(b)). North Dakota’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act separately requires a misappropriation claim within three years after discovery, or after the point when it should have been discovered with reasonable diligence.
Take the Next Step in Your Williston Intellectual Property Matter
Questions about a patent, a trademark filing, a copyright registration, or a trade secret are exactly what an initial conversation is for. Use the form to get matched with an attorney who can answer them for your case.
