Attorneys traditionally bill by the hour. To alleviate some of the uncertainty (and often the unpleasant surprise) of hourly billing, many trademark law firms now offer flat-fee trademark application services. However, these flat fees can still be confusing. Because trademark applications come in a variety of flavors and because obtaining a trademark registration can involve dozens of tasks spread out over months or sometimes years, it's important to understand what's included in a flat-fee "package" and make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

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Here's what Knowmad Law's $675 flat fee includes:

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• One-on-one consultation with Chris

• Preliminary clearance search and opinion letter analyzing your mark's chances of successful registration, as well as the risk of infringing someone else's mark. Check out an example HERE.

• Preparing a proposed description of your goods or services and confirming all the particulars of your application with you, including the mark drawing, your dates of first use, and the owner who will hold the registration

• Helping you identify and prepare an acceptable specimen of use

• Filing the application

• Corresponding with the USPTO and keeping you informed of the status of your application

• Responding to routine Office Actions

• Checking for accuracy and forwarding your Certificate of Registration

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What's not included?:

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• USPTO application fees. Typically, these are $250-350 per class of goods or services (mostly depending on whether there's a standard description of your product).

• Statement of Use. If you file on an intent-to-use basis, you'll need to file a Statement of Use before you can obtain a registration. We offer a separate flat fee of $280 to prepare and file the SOU (+USPTO fees of $100 per class)

• Substantive Office Action. If the USPTO refuses to register your mark because it's descriptive or there's a likelihood of confusion with a prior registration or there's something else substantively wrong with the application, you may wish to file a response amending the application and/or arguing that the refusal should be withdrawn. Once we know what the Office Action says, we can quote you a flat fee to assist you in filing a response.

• Analysis of multiple marks. Based on our opinion letter, you may decide not to pull the trigger on your application. If you're open to rebranding, we would be happy to consult with you regarding your options. Additional costs may apply.