IP Cost Estimator

What it does

Filing decisions usually get made without knowing what the whole programme will cost. The cost estimator fixes that. Tell us what you want to protect and where, and you get an estimate that separates what the offices charge, what we charge and what third parties charge along the way.

The point isn't the lowest number. It's a number you can plan against, plus a comparison of options so you can choose on cost and coverage together.

We start from your instructions on rights, countries and classes, the official fee schedules and our own fee structure. What you get is an estimate an attorney has reviewed. No turnaround promises and no hidden assumptions: every estimate says what it covers and what it leaves out, such as contested proceedings or translations that can't be priced yet.

Functions

Multi-jurisdiction estimates

You tell us the right (trademark, design or patent), the jurisdictions, and for trademarks the number of classes.

You get an estimate per jurisdiction, with a total. Each line has three parts: official fees, which are what the IP offices charge; professional fees, which are ours; and disbursements, such as translations or local agents. The split matters because only the middle part is in our hands. Official fees follow the offices' schedules, which change, so figures are indicative until filing.

Scenario comparison

You give us two or more ways of reaching the same goal, and we put them side by side. Typical comparisons for trademarks are a single EU trademark against national filings, or against an international registration under the Madrid system. For patents they are a European patent validated in selected countries against a European patent with unitary effect, including the effect on annual fees over the life of the patent. The Unitary Patent explains the legal differences behind that comparison, and our Unitary Patent calculator lets you test it yourself.

Client-ready PDF

You get the estimate as a PDF you can drop into a budget request or send to a board or investor. It lays out the assumptions, so the reader can see what is and isn't included.

Indicative cost forecast in the portal

For rights already in your portfolio, the client portal shows an indicative forecast of upcoming costs, based on the renewal and maintenance steps in the portfolio. It helps with annual budgeting. The same figures appear next to each renewal proposal, so you decide on each renewal with its cost in front of you.

What you receive

• A written estimate per jurisdiction, with official fees, professional fees and disbursements shown separately.
• A comparison of scenarios with the assumptions stated.
• A PDF you can share.
• A forecast in the portal for the rights you already hold.

An attorney reviews the estimate before it reaches you. Complex matters, such as contested proceedings, are quoted separately because they can't be estimated this way. IP cost planning for multi-jurisdiction filings shows how to read an estimate and what to put in a budget.

The estimate also notes the date the fee schedules were applied, so you know how old the figures are when you read them.

Where it is used

We use it in trademark registration, when you choose between an EU, Benelux or international route, and in 360° patent strategy, when you choose countries and decide between validation routes. In IP portfolio management it supplies the cost side of every renewal decision, and the same figures feed the conversation about what the portfolio costs against what it protects, which is part of valuing an IP portfolio. Renewal rules are covered in renewal management for IP portfolios.

A walk-through: a client plans a first patent filing and asks what it takes to cover Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. We enter the right and the countries and compare two scenarios: national validations in all five, or unitary effect plus a national validation in Spain. The estimates show filing, grant and validation costs and the annual fees over 20 years for each scenario. The attorney reviews the assumptions, exports the PDF and talks it through with the client, who then picks a scenario. When the patent is filed, the same figures reappear in the portal as a cost forecast.