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Guides
Plain answers, from a patent attorney.
Straight guidance on trademarks, patents, copyright, and choosing a firm, written by Dr. Rahul Dev.
Latest
The USPTO Trademark API: What It Does and Where It Bites
The USPTO exposes US trademark data free through TSDR and bulk files, but with no fuzzy search, heavy formats and rate limits. It is a strong foundation, not a finished search feature.
IP fundamentals
What Is Intellectual Property? The Four Types
Intellectual property is a set of legal rights over creations of the mind, from inventions to brand names. There are four main types, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and each protects a different thing in a different way.
Trademark vs Patent vs Copyright: What Is the Difference?
A trademark protects brand identifiers like names and logos, a patent protects an invention, and a copyright protects original creative work. They are filed with different offices and last for different lengths of time.
Trademarks
How to Trademark a Name and Logo
Trademarking a name means clearing it, choosing the right class of goods or services, and filing an application with the USPTO for $350 per class. A logo follows the same path with one extra decision.
How to Do a Trademark Search Before You File
A trademark search checks whether your name conflicts with an existing one before you spend the non-refundable filing fee. The USPTO's free tool is only the first layer of a real clearance.
Trademark Classes Explained: The Nice Classification
Trademarks are organized into 45 classes, 34 for goods and 11 for services. The USPTO charges $350 per class, and your protection only covers the classes you actually register in.
TM vs R: Which Trademark Symbol Can You Use?
TM marks an unregistered claim and costs nothing to use. The R in a circle is only legal once the USPTO registers your mark, and using it early can hurt you. SM is the version for services.
How Long Does a Trademark Take to Register?
A straightforward US trademark registers in about ten months. The USPTO's official range is 12 to 18 months, which builds in time for office actions and the slower intent-to-use path.
Trademark Office Action: What It Is and How to Respond
An office action is the USPTO examiner's list of legal problems with your application, not a final denial. You have three months to respond, and most of the issues are fixable.
International Trademark Registration: The Madrid Protocol
The Madrid Protocol lets you file one international trademark application through your home office and seek protection in up to 132 territories. The catch is a five-year dependency on your home mark.
How Much Does a Trademark Cost in 2026?
A US trademark costs $350 per class in USPTO filing fees, plus attorney fees that usually run $300 to $1,500. Most small businesses spend $650 to $2,000 to register one mark in one class.
Patents
How to Patent an Idea
You cannot patent a pure idea, only a concrete invention that does something. Patenting it means documenting the invention, searching prior art, and filing an application with the USPTO, usually starting with a provisional.
What Does Patent Pending Mean?
Patent pending means you have filed a patent application that the USPTO has not yet examined. It locks in your filing date and warns copycats, but it gives you nothing to sue over until the patent actually grants.
Provisional Patents: What They Are, Cost, and How to File
A provisional patent application is a lower-cost filing that secures your filing date and lets you use patent pending for twelve months, buying time before you commit to a full patent. It is never examined and never becomes a patent on its own.
How Much Does a Patent Attorney Cost?
A patent attorney typically charges $8,000 to $15,000 to prepare and file a basic utility patent, plus USPTO fees of around $1,800 for a small entity. Complex inventions cost more.
Copyright & trade secrets
How to Copyright a Book and Other Creative Work
You hold copyright in a book automatically the instant you write it. Registering it with the US Copyright Office is optional but powerful, it is what lets you sue and claim statutory damages. The process is the same for music, art, and code.
What Is a Trade Secret?
A trade secret is confidential business information, a formula, process, or method, that has value precisely because competitors do not know it. Unlike a patent, it needs no registration and never expires, but only while it stays secret.
What Is an NDA? Non-Disclosure Agreements Explained
A non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, is a contract in which one or both sides promise to keep shared information confidential. It is the everyday tool for protecting a trade secret before you reveal it.
Enforcement
Cease and Desist Letters, Explained
A cease and desist letter is a formal written demand that someone stop an activity, usually trademark or copyright infringement. It carries no court power on its own, but it is often the cheapest way to end a dispute.
Trademark Infringement: How to Spot It and What to Do
Trademark infringement is when someone uses a mark similar enough to yours that customers are likely to be confused about the source. Spotting it turns on that confusion, and stopping it usually starts with a letter, not a lawsuit.
