Why is Trademark Registration so Expensive

Introduction

Trademark registration is a concept that sounds simple, but there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a trademark. You need to make sure that your mark will be distinctive from other trademarks, can function as an indicator of origin, and is not likely to be confused with other registered or unregistered trademarks. This can lead to long and complicated proceedings about whether or not you should register your trademark.

It is not so Expensive

When you go to the store and find that a pair of jeans is $60, you might think that’s expensive. But when you consider what it would cost to make your own pants from scratch, using nothing but denim fabric and hand-stitched thread, it seems like a bargain. So too with the price of trademark registration—it’s not so high when you consider its value in protecting your business.

The Fees are Really Low

The fees are affordable. They’re all about $1,000 per class for an application, which is much cheaper than most lawyers would charge to do this sort of work on your behalf, especially if you’re a small business owner with no time or resources to spare on trademark registration yourself!

Fees may Increase at Some Point

The USPTO does not charge any fees to file an intent-to-use application. If you intend to use the mark, but have not yet started using it in commerce, then you must pay a filing fee when you submit your application and request that the USPTO provide the registration.

Once your mark is registered, there will be additional annual maintenance fees due each year after the fifth year of registration. These are calculated based on a percentage of your average gross receipts during the previous three years:

The Lawyers are the Real Problem

Lawyers are expensive, and trademark registration is no exception. In fact, lawyers tend to be the most expensive part of the process. Why?

• Lawyers charge a lot. Depending on what country you’re in, a lawyer can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per hour.
• They charge this much because they know it works; people will pay up if they want their work done quickly and with expertise—and that’s exactly what they get by hiring an attorney!
• Some industries have higher legal costs than others due to complex rules and regulations which require specialized knowledge to navigate effectively (for example: tax law).

Takeaway

Trademark registration can be affordable and you should protect your brand early on.

Trademark registration is not that expensive! The USPTO keeps a list of the current fees for all its services. The trademark filing fee is $275 per class and $325 per international class (for example, if you want to register your mark for clothing, footwear, and headgear, it’s only an extra $50). This means that even if your business only sells one type of product or service (say, shoes), this cost is negligible compared to what you’d spend in attorney fees later.

No lawyer can tell you how much time they spent on a project based on their hourly rate because every case has different complexities and obstacles—it could take them twice as long as they thought or half as long—so when it comes to price quotes from lawyers who specialize in legal work (like trademarks) don’t rely solely upon the hourly rate given by each firm; instead, read reviews from clients who have worked with this particular firm before so that you know whether or not their rates are reasonable compared with other firms offering similar services nearby where yours operates out of town

Conclusion

We hope that we have been able to dispel some of the myths surrounding trademark registration. It is true that the process can be expensive, but it does not need to be. We have found that for many clients, paying high legal fees is unnecessary because there are plenty of ways around this problem. The key takeaway here should be that you need to protect your brand early on so that you do not end up spending more money than necessary later on down the road (and believe us when we say there will be a “later”).