|
Intellectual Property Services are Expensive!
Intellectual property services, including legal services and patent and trademark agency services, are among the most expensive of all professional services. Part of the reason for this is that front-rank intellectual property firms have to hire professional personnel who have both a law degree and an engineering or science degree; such individuals are rare, and are increasingly in demand not only in this country, but also in the U.S. and elsewhere. In order to attract top-quality individuals to our firm, we have to compete against American law firms, large corporations and "dot com" companies for the talents of such qualified individuals. This competition for qualified individuals has pushed professional salaries dramatically upwards in recent years, and has provoked a corresponding increase in hourly rates and rates for basic services.
Any ballpark expense figures stated in this website should be considered to be minimum-case values; fees and disbursements have a way of escalating fairly rapidly, especially where matters are complex or are of an adversary character. We are always pleased to discuss (free of charge) expected fees and disbursements for any task.
We do not charge for brief (under 30 minutes) initial meetings or
telephone calls in which we merely provide general information about
intellectual property matters (such as the patenting and trademark
registration processes, and the expected costs). However, we do
charge for initial meetings in which we are asked to provide advice
or information related to a specific matter. Expect to pay $250
or more for an initial consultation of no more than an hour's duration;
follow-up activity costs extra; you will find ballpark figures for
specific services elsewhere on this website. For example, an application
to register copyright may cost a few hundred dollars, an application
to register a trademark at least about $1500, and an application
for patent at least a few thousand dollars. For more complex matters
such as litigious matters or the preparation of a complex patent
application, fees and disbursements can easily cost several thousand
dollars. If you cannot afford intellectual property services, we
strongly recommend that you obtain a financial partner to assist
you.
In the interest of cost-effectiveness, for more complex matters we recommend a three-stage approach to rendering service, namely (1) an initial consultation; (2) a preliminary review of the basic facts, technology, state of the prior technology, apparent legal problems, etc. (including, if appropriate, a visit to your premises) sufficient for us to evaluate what services we can provide to assist you within an expected budget; and (3) performance of the services that you authorize. Expect stage (2) to entail fees and disbursements in the range of about $1000 to $5000, depending upon the nature and extend of the preliminary work required.
Please bear in mind that when we give you a ballpark figure for a given task, any additional matters that you wish to raise with us and any modification or variation of the tasks assigned to us will inevitably attract higher fees than were initially discussed. Please bear in mind also that in the absence of a specifically contracted sum for a specific service, any discussed figures are ballpark figures only for minimum cases only.
Forewarned is forearmed. Please raise at the outset of your discussions with us whatever concerns you may have about budgeting adequately for fees and disbursements expected for any task that you ask us to undertake.
|
|
