Define the application work.
$4,000 per application, including claims, the first Office Action response, and any restriction or election requirement on the application.
FEES & RUNWAY
Our runway matters.
Make the patent costs clear.
Understand the professional fee for the starting work, what it includes, and the costs that sit outside it.
THE PROBLEM
The first quote is only useful
if you understand the scope.
A founder needs to budget beyond drafting. Examiner responses, government fees, other jurisdictions, and the later life of a patent can matter to the full investment. An unexplained headline price is not enough to plan around.
THE QUESTIONS BEHIND IT
What does the application fee include?
What happens if the examiner responds again?
Which costs are separate from the professional work?
HOW IAF HELPS
Published professional fees.
Scope agreed before the work.
IAF publishes defined fees for application preparation and response work. The application fee already includes the first Office Action response and any restriction or election requirement on that application. Strategic counsel and agreements are billed hourly.
Understand response fees.
Each subsequent Office Action response on an IAF-prepared application is $1,500. Any Office Action response on an application prepared elsewhere is also $1,500.
Discuss the broader budget.
USPTO government fees and third-party costs are separate. Discuss the scope and any wider filing or portfolio requirements before committing to work.
MAKE THE NEXT STEP PRACTICAL
Four published fees.
One place to see the scope.
Application · $4,000
Application including claims, first Office Action response, and any restriction or election requirement on that application.
Office Action response · $1,500
Each later response on our application, or any response on an application prepared elsewhere.
Restriction or election · $1,000
Per requirement on applications prepared elsewhere. Included at no charge for applications IAF prepared.
Strategic counsel · $850/hour
High-level consultations, business strategy, and agreement review or preparation.
Professional fees are shown in U.S. dollars. Government fees and third-party costs are separate. This is not an all-in lifetime patent budget. IAF offers paid services; an initial conversation is not advertised as a free strategic consultation.
WHAT FOUNDERS ASK
A little more clarity.
Does $4,000 buy a granted patent?
It is the professional fee for the application and the included response work described here. Government fees and third-party costs are separate, and a grant is not guaranteed.
What if our application was prepared by another firm?
Office Action responses are $1,500 each. A restriction or election requirement is $1,000 per requirement for applications prepared elsewhere. Discuss your matter and scope with Jurgen.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR STARTUP
Discuss scope and costs.
Start with a general introduction. Discuss scope and fees before professional work begins.