Cost to Register a Trademark in the U.S.

Introduction

The cost of registering a trademark in the US varies widely, depending on factors such as the number of classes you register and the complexity of your mark. In general, expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,500 in attorney fees for simple domestic filing through a law firm or agency that specializes in intellectual property law. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) also charges its own fees based on how many classes you register with your application. These fees are typically much lower than attorney fees and aren’t subject to negotiation or change based on circumstances like market conditions or client needs.

Cost to Register a Trademark in the U.S.

The cost of trademark registration depends largely on the number of classes and complexity of your mark. For example, if you’re registering a mark for goods that are all in the same class (e.g., “Balls”), then it will only cost $225 per class. However, if your goods fall into multiple classes (e.g., “Balls” and “Soccer uniforms”) then it will cost $325 per class. Additionally, attorney fees may be incurred at different stages throughout the process—for example, an attorney can advise you during the search phase to ensure that no one else has already registered your desired name or logo as a trademark before filing an application with the USPTO.

Cost Components

Trademark registration is a very important step in protecting your company’s intellectual property. It’s important to understand that the cost of registering a trademark is not the same as the cost of filing an application. In fact, there are several different costs associated with the process of getting a trademark registered.

The main fees you’ll encounter include:

• Filing fee

This fee pays for all administrative costs associated with filing and processing your application (e.g., maintaining databases). The amount varies depending on where you live and how long it takes for your application to be processed by USPTO staff; however, it typically ranges between $225 and $400 per class of goods/services covered in your filing.

• Attorney fees

If you hire an attorney or law firm to help prepare or file your application(s), they will charge additional legal fees based on their hourly rate or a flat fee quote for services performed on behalf of an individual client.

As you might expect, the amount of attorney fees depends on the complexity of your trademark. For example, a simple trademark can cost between $750 and $1,500 while an average cost is typically somewhere between $1,500 and $3,500. Attorney fees are calculated based on hourly rates or a flat rate for certain services such as filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Most attorneys will make their fees known upfront so that you know exactly what you’re getting into before hiring them for any legal matters related to trademarks.

Trademark Office Filing Fee Based on Number of Classes

The filing fee is based on the number of classes you are filing for, so if you are filing for a couple of classes, it will be less than if you were to file for dozens. The cost is $225 per class, but there’s a discount if you file for more than one class at once. If your mark includes goods and services in 10 or fewer classes—such as “clothing,” “embroidery machines,” and “surgical instruments”—you’ll pay just $125; this is called the small entity fee (SEF).

The USPTO doesn’t charge anything extra for putting up a website or setting up an office space with signage; these things aren’t considered part of your trademark registration process. You also don’t have to pay any fees after submitting an application or responding to an Office Action letter from the USPTO about your application.

Additional Costs Depending on Circumstances

The costs of registering a trademark can vary based on the circumstances. The first step in determining the cost of your trademark registration is conducting a search to see if someone else already owns it. A professional search will include both online databases and searches of federal, state, and international records (such as books, newspapers, and magazines). If no conflicting trademarks are found during this preliminary search, then we can proceed with filing for your mark at this time.

The second step is conducting a clearance search to determine if anyone has registered their own mark which might conflict with yours after it’s registered. This step may be necessary if multiple business owners have similar marks or in situations where one owner is trying to register their mark nationally while another wants theirs to be recognized internationally or vice versa. The cost of performing this type of search depends on several factors such as how many potential conflicts exist between different types of goods/services listed under each respective classification code class system used by each country within their jurisdiction.

The third step involves filing an application with USPTO so they can begin processing the paperwork needed before issuing actual registration certificate(s) once complete documentation has been received back from the applicant(s). Unfortunately, there isn’t any way around having fees paid upfront prior to the starting process since fees cannot be paid retroactively once started due to strict regulations enforced by USPTO policymakers.

Takeaway

The cost to register a trademark varies widely and depends on different factors, including the number of classes your mark covers, the complexity of your mark, and whether or not you hire an attorney. For example, if your company has only one class of goods (like clothing) and it’s an original mark that is not being used by anyone else in any way, then it may cost around $500 to file for federal protection.

Conclusion

The cost to register a trademark is a complicated and variable process. Your attorney will work with you to understand what factors contribute to the total costs and how they can help you minimize these costs where possible.