Patents
For a new product, part or process that works in a way nobody has published before. We draft the description and the claims that set the limits of your rights.
Drafting and filing from$3,400
File first, then tell the world
Patent and trade mark attorneys for inventors, start ups and established manufacturers. We search what already exists, draft and file your application, and answer the examiner, with a fixed fee agreed in writing before each stage.
Fixed feefor each stage, quoted in writing
5 daysto a written search report
Confidentialfrom the very first call
- Patents, trade marks and designs
- A search before any drafting
- Renewal dates on our watch list
- Inventors and research teams
What we protect, and how
Most clients arrive with a product, a name or both. We tell you which kind of protection fits, and which would cost a great deal for very little.
Trade marks
For the name, logo or slogan customers know you by. We check it is available, then file it for the goods and services you actually trade in.
Search and filing from$520
Registered designs
For the shape and look of a product, such as a bottle, a chair or a phone case, separate from how it works inside.
Filing from$420
Searches and opinions
A look through earlier patents and publications before you spend on drafting, and a check that a planned product steers clear of rights others hold.
Search report from$650
Licences and assignments
Agreements that let another company make your invention, or move the rights from a founder into the company before investors arrive.
Objections and disputes
Replies to examiners, oppositions against rival filings, and firm letters when someone copies your product or borrows your name.
Before you pitch, post or sell
In most countries an invention shown in public before the filing date can no longer be patented, because it is no longer new. A demo at a trade fair, a video online or a crowdfunding page can all count. A few countries allow a short grace period, but those rules are narrow and differ from place to place, so we never plan around them.
The safer order is simple: speak to us, file the application, then show the product to anyone you like. Filing fixes your date, and for patents most countries then allow twelve months to file abroad while keeping that earlier date.
- Share details only with people bound to confidentiality
- Keep dated notes, sketches and test results
- Hold back launch videos until the filing is in
- Ask us before you present at a conference or publish a paper
How a patent application moves
From the first call to a decision usually takes several years. The time differs widely by country and by field of technology, and we give you an honest estimate at the start.
Confidential first call
Thirty minutes to hear what you have made, where you plan to sell it and what needs protecting first.
Search and opinion
A search of earlier patents and publications, with a written view on whether the core of the idea still looks new.
Drafting
We write the description, brief the drawings and set out the claims, and you check every line before anything is filed.
Filing
The application goes in and your filing date is fixed. Where local rules allow it, the product can now be marked patent pending.
Examination
An examiner compares your claims with earlier work. We explain each objection in plain words and reply only with your approval.
Decision and renewals
A granted patent stays in force while renewal fees are paid. We keep each due date on our list and contact you well ahead of it.
Fees for each stage
Every fee below is fixed for a typical case and confirmed in writing before we start. Complex technology or an unusually long set of claims is quoted on its own.
| Stage | Usual time | Our fee from |
|---|---|---|
| Confidential first call, 30 minutes | Within 3 working days | $120 |
| Patent search with a written opinion | 5 working days | $650 |
| Drafting and filing a first patent application | 3 to 5 weeks | $3,400 |
| Reply to an examination report | 2 to 4 weeks | $900 |
| Trade mark search and filing, one class | 1 to 2 weeks | $520 |
| Registered design filing, up to 3 views | 1 to 2 weeks | $420 |
| Filing in further countries | Before the twelve month date | Quote |
Official fees charged by each patent or trade mark office are extra, differ by country and are passed on at cost. Translations for filings abroad are quoted separately.
Fields our attorneys work in
Each attorney holds a science or engineering degree as well as a professional qualification, so the first call can go straight to the technical detail.
- Medical devices
- Consumer products
- Software related inventions
- Batteries and energy storage
- Food processing
- Agricultural machinery
- Packaging
- Sports equipment
- Materials and coatings
- Robotics and sensors
- Building products
- Cosmetic formulations
Whether software can be patented, and in what form, differs a great deal from one country to the next. We say so plainly at the first call rather than after the invoice.
Inside the practice
Prototypes arrive in boxes, on laptops and now and then on a trailer. Each one is looked at closely before a word of the application is written.
Inventors and founders on working with us (example reviews)
The search turned up an older patent close to the first design, before a cent went on drafting. The claims were then built around the hinge that was genuinely new.
Our brand name was checked in three markets before the packaging went to print. One clash surfaced early, and the second choice cleared.
Every examiner letter arrived with a plain summary, the options and a fixed fee for the reply. The finance team never once faced a surprise invoice.
Questions inventors ask first
Can an idea be patented?
A bare idea generally cannot. A patent protects an invention: a product or process that is new, not obvious to a skilled person in the field and capable of being made or used. What qualifies differs by country, especially for software and business methods, and we tell you honestly at the first call.
Should the invention stay secret until filing?
As far as possible, yes. Showing it in public before the filing date can destroy its novelty in most countries. Share details only with people bound to confidentiality, and talk to us before any launch, pitch or paper.
How much does a patent cost in total?
Our fees for each stage are listed above, and the official fees of each office come on top. Protection in several countries and renewals over the years add more, so we give a written estimate for the countries you choose before you commit.
How long until a patent is granted?
Often several years, and the wait differs widely by country and technology. Your application is pending throughout, and we explain each step as it comes. Nobody can promise that a patent will be granted, and we never do.
Is the first conversation confidential?
Yes. Everything you tell us is treated as confidential from the first call. Professional confidentiality rules for attorneys differ by country, and we sign a non disclosure agreement before the first meeting if you prefer.
Who can act for us at a patent office abroad?
Each country sets its own rules on who may represent clients before its patent and trade mark office. We act where we are qualified and work with trusted local attorneys elsewhere, under one written estimate.
Send a confidential enquiry
Tell us what you have made and where you plan to sell it. A few plain lines are enough for a conflict check and a fixed fee for the first step, so keep the inner workings for the meeting.
- A conflict check before any details are discussed
- A fixed fee for the first step, in writing
- A reply within two working days
Meet the attorneys
Meetings take place at the office or by video, and prototypes are welcome on the table.
Reach the practice
Third floor of a converted printworks beside the science park, with meetings by video for clients anywhere
Office hours
| Monday to Thursday | 08:30 to 18:00 |
| Friday | 08:30 to 16:30 |
| Saturday and Sunday | Closed |
General information only
Nothing on this website is legal advice. Patent and trade mark law, official fees, deadlines and who may act for you differ from country to country, so advice starts once we know your invention and your markets.