The total amount is $1,500. Of that amount, $1,250 is payable to our firm, and the remaining $250 is the filing fee charged by the USPTO (the USPTO charges a $250 filing fee per class of goods or services).

Not typically, but there may be additional fees in certain instances, as explained below. The $1,500 fee is for the registration of a single application under a single class of goods where the description of those goods or services is a USPTO pre-populated description — what’s referred to as a “TEAS Plus application” ($1,500 total, including the USPTO filing fees).

• If your mark will need to be registered under more than one class of goods, please keep in mind that the USPTO will charge you a filing fee for every additional class. For this reason, we usually advise clients to initially register under a single class, and, if no opposition occurs, then later expand the registration to additional classes, if so desired.
• If the description you choose for your goods or services is not a USPTO pre-populated description, then the USPTO will charge you a filing fee of $350 instead of $250 for each class. This filing fee will be for what is referred to as a “TEAS Standard application.”
• If you file a 1(b) intent-to-use application, then you will later need to file a Statement of Use. The USPTO charges a filing fee of $100 per class to file the Statement of Use, and our firm charges a separate flat fee of $200 per class to file the Statement of Use.
• If you file a 1(b) intent-to-use application and need to file an extension request, the USPTO charges a filing fee of $125 for that filing, and our firm charges a separate flat fee of $100 per class to file an extension request.
• If the attorney examiner at the USPTO who is assigned to your application issues an “office action,” which is a formal request for additional information or explanation, then any time we spend in responding to that office action is billed at an hourly rate.
• If your company is a software company, the classification of goods and services will require additional information gathering sessions that typically require an additional 1-2 hours of attorney time. The extra time is required because software typically overlaps between multiple classes of goods and services.

A “knock-out search” is a basic search of the USPTO’s public database of registered trademarks, to identify whether there may be any exactly conflicting marks that may prevent the registration of a proposed trademark application.

No. We give you a knock-out search as to one potential mark.

It usually takes less than ten minutes gather all of the necessary information, and the registration can be completed and filed within 1-2 days thereafter.

About 6-9 months. It’s important to be patient once the trademark application has been filed. After filing, it usually takes about about 4 months for an application to be initially assigned to an attorney examiner at the USPTO. If all goes well, the mark will be published for opposition and then finally registered, assuming no one opposes the registration, and assuming that you timely provide to the USPTO all information that is requested of you.

Yes, of course, but unless you’ve already run a trademark search, determined the exact class under which your mark should be registered, determined the type of application that should be filed, and are familiar with the USPTO’s application process, it likely won’t be worth your time to try and figure out the whole process just to save some money.

• You’ll likely save money at the outset by using an on-line filing service, but it may cost you more in the long run. Many of these services are deceptively cheap, since there may be hidden fees.
• You may also register the trademark incorrectly, and you may not complete all of the necessary steps to properly register your trademark when using one of these services. If you later learn that you did make a mistake, you’re going to have to pay a lawyer a lot more money to help you fix the registration or defend the application if there is an opposition to your application.
• Using an on-line filing service isn’t necessarily confidential. If you hire a lawyer — whether our firm or any other law firm — anything you tell your lawyer will automatically be deemed confidential and protected by the attorney-client privilege. Lawyers are heavily regulated and bound by strict ethical rules and guidelines. That’s not true with on-line filing services.
• If your business is successful, you’ll inevitably have other legal issues to address, and you’ll have to engage a trademark lawyer. Why not do so at the very beginning, so that you have a go-to trademark lawyer when those legal issues later arise? You won’t develop a professional relationship with an on-line filing service.
• Most business lawyers, like us, are well connected in their local communities and can provide recommendations and referrals to other reputable service providers (such as accountants, insurance brokers, bankers, and financial advisors) who may not seem important at the outset, but are critical to have relationships with as the business grows.
• If you’ve read this far, and you’re sure that you’re just looking for the lowest price, this is not the service for you and we encourage you to pay for an online filing service instead. Seriously. But, if you’re looking for a fair price, and everything that comes with that (customer service, attention to detail, and a relationship with the service provider), then this is the service for you.