It all depends on how well you search for previous patents, if you hire an attorney, how much of the work you do yourself, and how carefully written you want your patent.

You can do your own cursory patent search here, here, here or here.

The cost also adds up when you consider all of the filing, documentation, registration fees, etc. There are definitely forms and stuff on the above websites that will help you get started but if you are serious about this and want to make sure that no one will find a loophole that you didn't consider and infringe upon your patent, I would consider getting a lawyer. Also, if you have an attorney and they screw up royally so someone else uses your "patented" information, you may have recourse against them. [grin]

Err...not that I'm advising suing lawyers or anything...

When I was showing my patent, when I stated 40k up there in my first reply, I was told that if I wanted a international patent in every country where patent laws apply, that is how much I am looking to pay...

It was well under 1k for England only....

to tell you the truth, I did not really understand it all properally, did not mean to say that to put you off, but I am no expert here, and I am just as confused now as I was before I phoned them up!

Quote: Original post by sathenzar
Hey everyone, would anyone know how much patenting things costs? I went to upsto.gov and I couldn't really find any specific information. Thanks everyone.

If you're looking to patent software I hear it's cheaper and less morally objectionable to kill puppies.

The wide difference in the numbers being quoted about are due to two things.
1. Local vs world-wide patents
2. Legel fees.

1. When you file a patent in your country it only covers that country. If you filed in the US you would have protection for your invention in the US but not other countries. If you wanted to extend protection to other countries you can do but the cost goes up. So, the figures that r1tual quoted previously

Quote: 150$ for the patent.
250$ for search fees.
100$ for examination fees.
700$ for issue fee.
450$ due after 3 years for reissuance.
130$ processing fee.

Are for one territory (the US) and you would likely have to pay similar fees to extend that patent across other countries.

2. Legal fees. Patent law is a complex and time consumming speciality. Its very important to get it right because if you don't your time and money is wasted and your invention unprotected. The lawyers who specialise in patent law charge a lot so if you decide to get a lawyer to handle your application you will have to add something in the region of $10,000 as a starting figure. If they do this for you world-wide the figures I have been quoted by some lawyers reach $250,000.

> Legal fees.

Yep, that is the bulk of your costs. In Canada, you can expect a patent attorney to charge you C$20K for a simple application. Complicated molecular arrangements, which are prevalent in the biotech industry and require a lot of research, can reach C$200K just in legal fees easily. In some cases, a complex invention might need multiple patents, adding up to your bill.

Also, patent attorneys tend to specialize in specific technology areas. It's worth shopping a bit to find the right one even if the rate is somewhat higher. Their applications tend to bounce back from the PTO less frequently than patent attorneys without prior experience in your technology field. Bouncing back and forth with the PTO also adds to your costs. The average I've seen is about 3 times. I've never seen a patent accepted on the first try.

-cb