Practical Guide to for the Cost-Conscious Inventor 180 West Michigan ve. Suite 801 Jackson, MI 49201 517-879-0241 Phone 313-228-1110 Fax jshack@
Provisional is often selected as a starting point in the patent process when: ) Significant technical changes are likely within the next 12 months; or ) Commercial value is highly speculative; or C) Money is tight; or D) Time is tight; or E) When the business plan is to sell or license the innovation to someone else. Provisional First (US Only) Test Market/ Publish (optional) <12-months pre-filing DTES: Provisional U.S. Granted ~36-48 Months PRIORITY LIFE Preliminary Publication (optional) $750-3,500 $750-3,500 $3,250-6,000 $8,500 PENDING $11,750-14,500 <<<$1,500-4,000>>> <<<$13,250-18,500>>> $1,000 $14,250-19,500 *verage cost for a simple mechanical invention in 2016. For comparison purposes only. ctual costs may vary. 2014, 2016 Jon E. Shackelford. ll rights reserved. 1/5
Utility is often selected as a starting point in the patent process when the concept has been fully refined and there will not likely be any technical changes within the next 12 months ND the commercial value is certain ND there is no compelling reason to file the patent application within the following 2 months. Utility First (US Only) DTES: Test Market/ Publish (optional) <12-months pre-filing U.S. Publication (optional) Granted ~24-36 Months PRIORITY LIFE $8,500 $11,000 PENDING <<<$1,500-4,000>>> <<<$12,500-15,000>>> $1,000 $13,500-16,000 *verage cost for a simple mechanical invention in 2016. For comparison purposes only. ctual costs may vary. 2014, 2016 Jon E. Shackelford. ll rights reserved. 2/5
Utility + International is a traditional approach that is followed when international patent protection is desired ND the invention is not publically disclosed/commercialized prior to the U.S. patent filing date. This approach makes the most sense when the invention is substantially production ready at the time the U.S. patent is filed. Utility + International C INTERNTIONL PHSE NTIONL PHSE EUROPE: 100+ countries available DTES: US Publication/ Commercialization Prior to Date Prohibited US $8,500 $3,500 $11,000 PCT PENDING $14,500 PCT Publication US Publication <<<$1,500-4,000>>> <<<$16,000-18,500>>> MEXICO JPN US Granted ~24-36 Months +$3,000-9,000 UNITED STTES <<<$4,000-10,000>>> + above + above - GRET RITIN *verage cost for a simple mechanical invention in 2016. For comparison purposes only. ctual costs may vary. 2014, 2016 Jon E. Shackelford. ll rights reserved. 3/5 -GERMNY -FRNCE PRIORITY US LIFE FOREIGN LIFE is C date:
Provisional + International is an approach that is followed when international patent protection is desired ND the invention is not publically disclosed/commercialized prior to the U.S. Provisional application filing date. This approach is often used when it is desired to have a granted U.S. patent before any of the counterpart international patents. Provisional + International Publication/ Commercialization Prior to Date Prohibited Preliminary Provisional C PCT US INTERNTIONL PHSE PCT Publication US Publication NTIONL PHSE EUROPE: MEXICO JPN US Granted ~36-48 Months 100+ countries available - GRET RITIN -GERMNY -FRNCE DTES: PRIORITY US LIFE FOREIGN LIFE is C date: US PENDING UNITED STTES $750-3,500 $12,000 <<<$1,500-4,000>>> $3,000-9,000 $1,000 <<<$4,000-10,000>>> $750-3,500 $3,250-6,000 $13,000-16,500 <<<$16,750-22,000>>> + above + above + above *verage cost for a simple mechanical invention in 2016. For comparison purposes only. ctual costs may vary. 2014, 2016 Jon E. Shackelford. ll rights reserved. 4/5
Provisional then PCT is a common approach to obtaining international patent protection from the basis of a U.S. Provisional application. This approach is often preferred because it is efficient and because a significant portion of the patent costs can be deferred until start of the National Phase (typically 30 months after the Provisional filing date). Provisional then PCT Publication/ Commercialization Prior to Date Prohibited C INTERNTIONL PHSE NTIONL PHSE EUROPE: 100+ countries available - GRET RITIN DTES: PRIORITY Preliminary Provisional PCT PCT Publication MEXICO JPN UNITED STTES -GERMNY -FRNCE US LIFE FOREIGN LIFE is C date: $750-3,500 $11,000 PENDING +$3,000-9,000 <<<$4,000-10,000>>> $750-3,500 $3,250-6,000 $14,250-17,000 + above + above *verage cost for a simple mechanical invention in 2016. For comparison purposes only. ctual costs may vary. 2014, 2016 Jon E. Shackelford. ll rights reserved. 5/5