Understand the service.
Jurgen directs the professional patent work. ClaimMark-P assists preparation, with attorney review and revision.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS FOR FOUNDERS
There is a lot we do not know.
Let’s make it clearer.
You should not need to become a patent expert to understand the service you are considering.
THE PROBLEM
The unanswered questions
can keep a good decision waiting.
You may understand your product but still be unsure what the attorney does, what the fees mean, whether the service fits your technology, or how to start.
THE QUESTIONS BEHIND IT
Is this a patent service or an AI software product?
What work and fees should we expect?
How do we ask a question without sharing confidential details?
HOW IAF HELPS
Plain answers.
A specific next step.
IAF provides paid patent preparation, USPTO Office Action responses, and strategic counsel for AI, software, and software-implemented technology. The work is led by Jurgen Vollrath. Start with a general introduction, then discuss scope and private sharing for the engagement.
Understand the fee.
The application professional fee is $4,000 with defined included response work. Government and third-party fees are separate. Strategic counsel is $850 per hour.
Start with the question you have.
Describe the company, its stage, and the help you need. You do not have to submit confidential invention details to make the introduction.
MAKE THE NEXT STEP PRACTICAL
The short answers
to the common concerns.
Attorney-led work
Jurgen reviews the work and makes the legal and strategic decisions. You review the complete application before filing.
A software focus
IAF works with AI, software, and software-implemented technology. Discuss your particular invention to establish fit.
A defined engagement
Scope and fees are discussed before work begins. There is no promised grant, funding outcome, or standard filing turnaround.
This is an introduction to IAF’s professional services. Advice about a specific invention, disclosure, agreement, or response belongs in the private engagement.
WHAT FOUNDERS ASK
A little more clarity.
Is IAF a pro bono service?
No. IAF offers paid services at its published fees. If you need free assistance, the live IAF FAQ links to the USPTO Patent Pro Bono Program and Pro Se Assistance Center.
Do I need to know whether we need strategy or an application?
Begin by describing what you are trying to decide. Jurgen can discuss the appropriate scope. Strategic counsel is billed at $850 per hour; application preparation has a defined $4,000 professional fee.
What if the examiner responds more than once?
The first Office Action response is included in the application fee for work IAF prepared. Each later response is $1,500.
Does the fee include government costs?
No. USPTO government fees and third-party costs are separate.
Can we come with an existing application?
Yes. IAF offers Office Action responses on applications prepared elsewhere at $1,500 per response; restriction or election requirements on those applications are $1,000 each.
How do we send confidential materials?
Start with a general introduction. Discuss the appropriate private exchange with Jurgen rather than putting invention details into the initial public contact.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR STARTUP
Ask your next question.
Start with a general introduction. Discuss scope and fees before professional work begins.