Patent agent how much

Their salary research is very similar to what is posted elsewhere online. Lastly, we visited Payscale. Their salary figures were very similar to Glassdoor. Here is their breakdown:. We show you the average pay from Payscale. You can see your earnings double just by passing the patent bar exam and gaining employment as a patent agent. From there if you decide to pursue your JD then you can see an even higher increase when you become a patent attorney.

Here are the factors that will determine your salary and whether you find yourself on the high or low end of the earnings scale:.

Often individuals working in larger metropolitan areas earn more than their counterparts living in rural areas. However, you can come up with sufficient results for a reasonable price when doing a thorough patent search. Without doing a proper patent search, it becomes more difficult to describe your invention correctly. Although many independent inventors and small business owners have conducted patent searches on their own before, investing in a professional patent search almost always produces better results.

An expert will know how to find prior art and pending applications that you might have missed. Additionally along with a professional search, a patent agent or patent attorney will also provide you with a professional written opinion. Ultimately, the cost depends on how detailed the written analysis will be, how complex your invention is, and how much prior art was uncovered that needs further consideration.

To summarize, investing in a professional patent search and a written opinion from a patent agent or attorney is one of the best things you could do to when pursuing a patent. Your will obtain a better sense of direction once you have completed a patent search. Once you have done the search, you will know if the patent project is worth pursuing or if it is something you should give up on. The patent search could end up saving you thousands of dollars.

Another way to save money when pursuing a patent is by filing a provisional patent application before filing the more intricate, time-consuming, and expensive non-provisional patent application. Because the provisional patent application does not require the same number of formalities that a non-provisional patent application does, this type of filing is far less expensive.

If you made particular advances in your work and want to protect what you have accomplished so far, a provisional patent application is a very good idea.

Before that 12 month period ends, you will have to file a non-provisional patent application if you are certain that you want to obtain patent protection for your invention. Just as it is with filing a non-provisional patent application, how complex your invention is and how much technology is involved will also influence the exact cost of the provisional patent application.

It is important to understand that the cost of the patent search is a fixed, non-negotiable cost in many cases because the patent attorney will routinely outsource the search to firms who specialize only in finding prior art, much like is commonly the case in real estate transactions where attorneys hire title search companies who provide the information necessary for the attorney to review.

Upon receiving the patent search the patent attorney will review the search and issue a patentability opinion either verbal or in writing, depending upon your preference and other considerations. The price of the patentability opinion can range quite a bit depending upon the complexity of the prior art found, as well as the volume of prior art found. Additionally, a patentability opinion can and frequently is influenced by the complexity of the inventors inventions itself.

Again, it is important to remember that the complexity of the field of invention and number of related patents greatly affects the likely expenditure. After the search and the patentability opinion or consultation it is up to you the inventor to give the green light to their patent attorneys. These days it would be very rare for a review to result in an opinion that nothing could be patented.

There is likely something that can always be protected. The question you will likely have to address is whether the likely protection that can be achieved is worth the expense of filing a patent application.

If you give the green light your patent attorneys will start working on the application. It is very difficult if not impossible to give a ballpark estimate without knowing a good bit about the invention and how complex the invention is.

For example, I strongly suggest that new clients start with a patent search so that we can learn about the invention and the prior art.

Texas, Chicago and Washington, D. You may also want to consider working with a patent agent. If you are looking for the best bargain but still want to hire an experienced attorney you should look to non-traditional patent markets.

The cost of doing business for patent attorneys in non-traditional markets is typically much less than for attorneys in major metropolitan areas, such as New York or San Francisco, where rent and other costs can be extremely high.

In fact, you may be able to afford to have a partner with many years of experience work on your invention for less than you would have to pay an associate with little or no experience at a big city law firm.

Nevertheless, you should not just race to the firm with the lowest prices. Invariably, those offering bargain pricing are going to provide you with comparatively less time and service. Be sure to do your homework before hiring patent attorneys offering low fees. Here is an idea of what you might expect. The first step in the process is usually undertaking a patent search to determine whether moving forward make sense.

If both a US and international patent search is desired the cost does go up. It is important to understand that the cost of the patent search is a fixed, non-negotiable cost because patent attorneys will outsource the search to firms who specialize only in finding prior art, much like is commonly the case in real estate transactions where attorneys hire title search companies who provide the information necessary for the attorney to review.

Upon receiving the patent search the patent attorney will review the search and issue a patentability opinion either verbal or in writing, depending upon your preference and other considerations. The price of the patentability opinion can range quite a bit depending upon the complexity of the prior art found, the volume of prior art found, and the amount of written analysis requested. Written analysis can range from a brief opinion letter that is 1 page to a comprehensive assessment that may be 8 to 10 pages long, depending upon the technology.

Additionally, a patentability opinion can and frequently is influenced by the complexity of the invention being search. Again, it is important to remember that the complexity of the field of invention and number of related patents greatly affects the likely expenditure. After the search and the patentability opinion or consultation it is up to you, the inventor, to give the green light to move forward.

It is worth noting that the critical question for the inventor is not whether a patent can be obtained, but rather a commercially useful patent can be obtained. If you layer enough specifics together it is usually possible to get a patent issued, but the more specifics the less commercially useful the patent will be because it will be easy to get around the rights obtained.

Thus, the relevant question should be whether the protection that can likely be achieved is worth the expense of filing a patent application.