How much does a patent cost? What are patent pricing options?
Legal fees can be expensive. However, the cost of not getting legal assistance for patent services can be much greater. We offer patent pricing options with a flexible approach, allowing clients to better budget and/or plan for legal services. While variable, we do our best to answer the question, “How much does a patent cost?”
Budgeting and planning is important for technology and innovation-based start-ups and privately held companies who must keep to a tight budget, but who also face a myriad of legal challenges and risks. Additionally, large companies with global presence face adjusting budgets throughout the year to stay on track and accountable to shareholders.
We understand these concerns. As such, one of our foundational principles is to ensure that high quality legal advice and service is available to our clients on terms that best suit their needs. At engagement with our clients, they are able to choose the patent pricing options they prefer as a way to manage patent costs. Learn more about we work in our Engaging with Us section.
Patent Cost and Pricing Options
Although the exact cost of patent prosecution is often difficult to estimate, in most cases, we can provide you with a year-ahead budget of what to expect. However, below are some of our patent cost pricing options available.
Hourly — We bill the client hourly for our patent professionals’ time.
Flat Fee — We provide clients with a flat fee to perform certain services like performing a patentability search, preparing and filing the patent application, or responding to office actions.
Flat Fee with Hourly Hybrid — This patent cost arrangement combines flat fees with hourly billing where the work required is unknown or variable.
Retainer Related Arrangements — Retainer arrangements work best where there is a higher volume of patent work and through a retainer arrangement, we can save clients costs over the standard hourly billing arrangement.
Prior to engaging with a client, we discuss patent costs and our pricing options and help determine which arrangement would work best for the client’s legal services needs.
