Alongside the development, research and great work inventors invest in Israel and worldwide in developing their own inventions and patents, the process of registering the patent after its development is critical in the procedure and it may be the one that will dictate the tone of the entire project.
The high costs of developing patents, the need for financing in high sums or in raising contributions - depending on the nature of the project, and the great work invested along the way - sometimes even throughout the years - raises the question of the costs of registering a patent with the Registrar of Patents - on the national and international level.
And although such is a sum that may be a bit vague, it is important for us to address the issue of costs and try to break them down into components - in order to obtain a price estimate that will help you be more prepared for the long process.
Why it is important to allocate a budget for the registration of a patent?
Before we talk about the various factors comprising the bottom line, the price line, it is important to understand why it is important to allocate a part of the project’s budget to the process of registering the patent. When we are dealing with the registration of a patent, the cost may be even negligible, due to the importance of the process.
We register the patent in our name not only in order to obtain praise and a stamp for our hard work, but rather to protect ourselves against copies, theft of rights and other failures that might cast a large shadow on the hard work we have invested in the project. Without registering the patent in our name we are exposed on the local and international level to copies, claims and additional problems. Registration of the patent is legal protection for all intents and purposes.
The costs of preparing a registration application:
The question how much does it cost to register a patent includes many different areas, most of which are related to the preparation of the application in the most professional and accurate manner. Preparation of the application begins with searching the network and conducting a patent scan within the patent data base, which actually examines whether there are similar patents already registered or similar projects that are in the process of registration of a patent. In order to perform this patent scan it is recommended to be assisted by a professional company, and thus such entails an additional cost.
Following these examinations, the registration application itself is prepared and here we are talking about payment to the company specializing in preparing patents. The company offers legal advice, accompanying of professionals and additional services that are important for filling the application. In this case the cost is reviewed according to the complexity of the project and the important components throughout the process.
Payment of fees is the third component of the question of how much does it cost to register a patent. In each procedure the fees are reviewed according to the nature of the application, the countries in which it is desired to register the patent, renewal of annual fees, etc.
The bottom line:
If we look at the cost of registering a patent, the procedure’s cost might add up to even hundreds of thousands of shekels, and on the other hand may add up to smaller amounts.