Obtaining a patent is a complex process that requires the expertise of an experienced patent attorney. The cost of filing a patent application includes the attorney's fees for drafting and filing the patent, as well as the USPTO filing fees. The actual cost of filing a patent is only a small part of the total cost of obtaining a patent. The rate is usually a few hundred dollars, with discounts available for small entities (such as small businesses) and individual inventors.
Investing in an attorney can also save you time and money in the future, as the chances of having to re-file your patent application later are much lower. In addition to filing fees, patents must be renewed periodically in most countries, including the U. S. Utility Patents cover the functional or structural aspects of your invention that make it new and novel. If your invention is related to software, it will be especially complex, as courts have been demanding an enormous amount of technical details in the patent application to have any chance of obtaining and maintaining a software patent.
You can create your own patent application and ask a patent attorney to review it when you're ready to submit it to the USPTO. When budgeting for filing a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, there are several factors that will influence the expected cost. For some companies, all they have is intellectual property, so it may be prudent to budget more per application, since without an exceptionally strong base there will be no realistic chance of obtaining broad patent protection and, without strong patent protection, investors are unlikely to provide funding. If you are not willing to invest in a full patent, but want to protect your rights, you can file for a provisional patent. This decision is a personal one, but many inventors like to apply for a provisional patent before filing a non-provisional patent application. To give you an idea of what to expect when preparing a budget for filing a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, here are some general estimates.
You may even have to appeal the patent examiner's decision to the patent office's internal review board or to federal courts. Patents on plants prohibit third parties from reproducing the variety and, once approved by the USPTO, will protect the plant species for 20 years from the date of submission of the application. If you want to receive a full patent, you will need to file a non-provisional patent application. While this experience will come at an additional cost, working with a patent attorney is invaluable. To learn more about the costs of obtaining a patent or to start the process, post your legal application here to get free personalized quotes from experienced patent attorneys.
