Inventions, designs and names/logos used in commerce – collectively, intellectual property (IP) – often represent one of a company or individual’s most important assets. Those who recognise the true value of IP are prepared to invest in securing ownership of effective IP rights to protect their competitive advantage, derive licensing income, or raise finance.
The process of obtaining a legal monopoly for IP is complex and hence best undertaken by a qualified attorney, but it may be one of the best investments you ever make. Our patent attorneys specialise in engineering disciplines and by operating only within a focussed area of expertise we provide maximum value for your investment.
Patents
The cost of preparing and filing a patent application is principally determined by the amount of professional drafting time required, i.e. how long it takes for the drafting attorney to fully understand the crux of an invention; identify its novel and inventive features with respect to known inventions in the field; and then actually draft a detailed application. Since no two inventions are the same, costs can be highly variable and dependent upon several factors; not least the complexity of the invention and the quality of information provided to us by the inventor(s).
As a very general guide, the starting cost for drafting and filing a patent application for the very simplest of mechanical inventions would be £3,000 ex VAT; whereas for highly complex inventions the cost may reach £6,000 or more. Most applications can be prepared and filed at a cost somewhere between these two extremes.
Complete our Technical Disclosure Form or contact us and we can provide advice and more definite cost estimates tailored to your specific circumstances.
Registered Designs
The cost of preparing and filing an EU Community design application is determined by two factors: (i) the number of individual designs to be protected; and (ii) whether or not we are required to prepare drawings or photographs defining the scope of protection being sought. As a very general guide, the cost may range from £600 to £900 in respect of a single design.
Contact us and we can provide advice and more definite cost estimates tailored to your specific circumstances.
Trade Marks
Goods and services are separated into a number of different classes of goods or services such as e.g. Class 2 “Paints, varnishes, lacquers” or Class 15 “Musical instruments” etc. The cost of preparing and filing a UK Trade Mark is dependent upon the type of goods and services you use or envisage using the mark on and hence the number of classes which need to be covered. A UK trade mark application covering one class of goods or services might cost around £600 to £800 including official fees whereas a trade mark application covering three classes might cost around £800 to £1000. If you wish to protect the trade mark in territories outside of the UK there are a number of different strategies that can be utilised each of which have varying costs depending upon a number of factors.
Contact us and we can provide advice and more definite cost estimates tailored to your specific circumstances.