This law firm attempts to provide quality legal
representation for individuals and businesses seeking intellectual property protection,
and to provide it at the lowest price possible. This is important to our clients
because the cost of such protection can be quite high. While the fees charged by the
federal government are not outrageous,
intellectual property professionals such as attorneys and agents
can and do command high fees for their services. Yet the complexity
of the application process makes it virtually impossible to obtain some types
of protection without the education and experience of such a professional.
US Government Fees
To start this discussion, consider US government
filing fees. In the case of the US Patent and Trademark Office as of January 1, 2003, the fee
for filing of a patent application is $375 for an individual or small
business, $750 for a large company. The fee for filing of
a trademark application is $335. Compared to patent application fees around the world,
the US government offers some of the "best deals" for intellectual property applications. In
fact, the US government fees had the unusual effect of causing a few foreign jurisdictions
to actually lower their fees in the late 1990's. Although additional fees are required if the
application matures to grant of a patent or trademark, such fee levels
do not present an insurmountable barrier to entrepreneurs.
Patent Attorney Fees
However, the cost of legal counsel considerably
increases the cost of the application. Remember that each case and each application and each
law firm is unique, and so the cost of any type item of work vary from
instance to instance depending on the complexity of the work involved. The
normal and safe course of business is to call a patent attorney and rely on the
the continuing ethical duty of confidentiality to allow a brief description of the work
to be done. The patent attorney can then make an individual bid for the work.
Other Firms' Normal Fees
Despite this very confidential process, some general averages can be derived.
The fees presented are *not* the fees charged
by this law office, but industry averages at OTHER firms!
For filing of a typical trademark application, other attorneys may charge
anywhere from $1000 to $3000, that is, enough to double the cost of filing, or worse.
Prices are even higher in regard to patent applications,
which require considerable time spent in preparation by the
attorneys involved. A typical fee charged by other
experienced attorneys for writing and filing of a
fairly straightforward patent application *starts* in the
neighborhood of $5,000 and runs up well over twice that much.
One firm was recently billing utility patents at a minimum of $8,000,
and that firm was a small regional firm, not a national leader.
Obviously, this is a considerable obstacle for individuals,
small businesses, or even large corporations that desire maximum
return on investment. We'll try to beat those rates by a very wide margin!
One Example
Here is a more concrete example, one which readers can easily verify for themselves
-- the fees that one of our competitors was recently offering on his website:
Utility Patents: $6,850 (inventions)
Design Patents: $2,850 (ornamentation)
Copyrights: $1,375 (original expression)
Trademarks: $2,875 (company and product names)
Searches: $750
That competitor's rates are not at all high by the standards of patent attorneys, in fact, these
rates are quite reasonable. But at Barber Legal, we do not set our rates as high as the numbers
above.
About Our Rates
Some of the rates cited above are double what we charge at this office.
Some are triple and higher. This law office will beat any of the rates quoted
above, and we'll beat them by a very wide margin. Look at the numbers above,
discount them by an average of 50%, and consider the price difference. Then give both us
and our competitors a call, confidentially describe your ideas
so that we can state a definite price, and compare the competitive bids.
The Law Office of Craig W. Barber will pleasantly surprise you.
Credit Cards Accepted
We do accept major credit cards. Please feel free call us for a free initial consultation, and to arrange the details of working together.
1. Types of Intellectual Property
2. About Patents
.....a) Computer Patents
.....b) Software Patents
.....c) Telecommunications Patents
.....d) Electronics Patents
.....e) Business Method Patents
.....f) E-commerce Patents
.....g) Mechanical Patents
.....h) Chemistry Patents
.....i) Biotechnology
Patents
.....j) Pharmaceutical
Patents
3. About Trademarks
4. About Copyrights
5. Other Types of Protection
6. International Protection
7. Costs
8. For a Free Initial Consultation
9. Further Questions
10. About Mr.
Barber