Trademark pricing without the billing surprise
Every attorney fee is quoted in writing before work begins, and shown separately from the government fees paid to the USPTO.
Trademark pricing across the industry is inconsistent, some advertised prices cover the full process, others cover only a narrow slice of it, and government fees are sometimes buried or omitted entirely. This page lays out what The Branding Iron charges, what the USPTO charges separately, and what can cause the fee to change once your specific facts are known.
No charge when attended as scheduled. A payment method is required to reserve a time. A $50 fee applies to cancellations or rescheduling with less than 24 hours' notice and missed appointments. Review the consultation policy.
Four rules that don’t change.
- Flat fees, quoted in writing. Before any work begins, the scope and the fee are set out in a written engagement agreement. There is no hourly clock running in the background.
- Attorney fees and government fees are always separate. The fee paid to The Branding Iron for legal work is distinct from the fee paid directly to the USPTO to file or maintain an application. Every price on this page is shown both ways so you can see the full picture.
- Additional work is quoted before it starts. If your matter turns out to need something beyond the agreed scope, an added class, a second mark, a later or final Office Action response, you will see a proposed fee for that work before it begins, not after.
- No outcome is guaranteed. A registrability opinion, a filing, or a response can improve your position, but neither The Branding Iron nor any attorney can guarantee that the USPTO will register a particular mark. Results cannot be guaranteed, and government filing fees are generally nonrefundable regardless of outcome.
What each service costs to start.
Attorney fees are shown separately from USPTO government fees. Where a specific price or scope has not been fixed in advance, that is stated plainly rather than estimated.
| Service | Attorney fee | USPTO government fee |
|---|---|---|
| Clearance Search | From $295 for one mark in one class; $495 / $650 / $800 for two, three, or four mark-class combinations, then $150 each. Guaranteed expedited turnaround optional: +$500 for 24 hours, +$200 for 48 hours, measured from acceptance. | None (a search is not a filing) |
| Full Filing | From $695 per mark, per class | From $350 per class |
| Additional class | $695 per additional class, same mark | From $350 per additional class |
| Additional mark or logo | Priced the same as a new Full Filing for that mark | From $350 per class, per additional mark |
| Two marks, same class (e.g., word mark + logo) | $1,200 flat attorney fee for both marks (same class, same goods/services) | From $350 per mark |
| Office Action Response | From $595, depending on the refusal and record | None, unless the response itself requires a fee (for example, an amendment fee) |
| Statement of Use / Amendment to Allege Use | Included in Full Filing | Set by the USPTO at the time of filing |
| Intent-to-use extension | Included in Full Filing | Set by the USPTO at the time of filing |
| Monitoring | Quoted after review | None |
| Maintenance | Quoted after review | Set by the USPTO based on the filing (Sections 8, 15, and 9) |
| Enforcement consultation | Quoted after review | None |
Standalone search credit
If you retain the firm for a Full Filing on a mark and class covered by the assessment within 30 days of delivery, $295 is credited toward that filing's attorney fee. The total credited across all filings will not exceed the assessment fee you paid. The 30 days begin on the date the written search assessment is delivered.Example, one mark: You pay $295 for a one-mark, one-class standalone search. If you engage the firm for the $695 Full Filing within 30 days after receiving the search assessment, $295 is credited and the remaining filing attorney fee is $400, plus the USPTO government fee.
Example, a bundle: You pay $800 to clear four mark and class combinations. Two of them look strong and you file both within 30 days. Each filing is credited $295, so each costs $400 in attorney fees rather than $695, plus the USPTO government fee per class.
Intent-to-use work through registration is included
For an intent-to-use application, the Full Filing package includes preparation and filing of the appropriate Amendment to Allege Use or Statement of Use and, when needed, up to five six-month extension requests permitted after the Notice of Allowance. USPTO fees remain additional. The included scope covers ordinary review and filing based on timely, acceptable evidence supplied by the client. Replacement-specimen strategy, responses to refusals arising from a use filing, petitions, appeals, contested proceedings, or other work outside the ordinary filing process are separately quoted.USPTO fees apply to each use or extension filing.
What a filing actually costs, start to finish.
Common scenarios, with the attorney fee and USPTO fee broken out separately.
One mark, one class
One mark, two classes
Word mark + logo, same class
Standalone search followed by filing within 30 days
Intent-to-use application
These are starting figures for straightforward, single-category filings. Additional classes, additional marks, or complications discovered during the clearance search or application drafting can change the final fee, and any change is quoted before it is charged. For the intent-to-use example, extraordinary or separately scoped work is quoted before it begins.
The USPTO can assess additional fees beyond the base $350.
The $350-per-class base application fee is not always the final USPTO charge. Depending on how the application is drafted and filed, the USPTO may assess one or more additional per-class fees.
Additional USPTO surcharges (per class)
- +$100 if certain required information is missing from the application at filing.
- +$200 if the identification of goods or services is not selected from the USPTO’s own pre-approved ID Manual wording (a “free-form” identification).
- +$200 for every additional 1,000 characters used in the identification of goods or services beyond the included allotment.
How this is handled
- Careful drafting of the goods-and-services identification is part of the application preparation and is intended to avoid these surcharges where possible.
- When a surcharge cannot reasonably be avoided given your actual goods or services, it will be identified before filing so you know the full government-fee total in advance.
- These are USPTO charges, not attorney fees, and are paid directly to the USPTO.
USPTO fees are current as of July 2026 and are subject to change by the USPTO at any time.
What creates additional legal fees.
A starting price assumes a straightforward, single-mark, single-class filing. The following can add to the attorney fee, and each is quoted before the work begins.
- Additional classes. Each additional class of goods or services beyond the first adds its own attorney fee and its own USPTO filing fee.
- Multiple marks. Protecting a word mark and a logo, or two different marks, generally requires separate applications and separate fees.
- Complex clearance searches. A crowded field of similar marks, ambiguous common-law use, or a mark that raises descriptiveness questions can require more analysis than a routine search.
- Difficult specimens. Specimens that are borderline, ornamental, or otherwise likely to draw a refusal may require additional review or a revised approach before filing.
- Office Action work beyond the first response. The package includes one response to the first non-final Office Action, including substantive refusals. Any later or final Office Action, reconsideration request, appeal, consent agreement, unusually extensive evidence project, or work beyond the first response is separately quoted.
- Appeals. Appealing a final refusal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board is outside the scope of a standard filing or Office Action engagement, as is a further appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The firm handles both as separate engagements, quoted as a flat fee in writing after the decision and the record have been reviewed. See trademark appeals.
- Oppositions. Defending against a third party’s opposition to your published application is a separate contested proceeding, not included in filing fees.
- Expedited work. Compressed deadlines or rush handling can require a separate fee arrangement.
- Enforcement. Evaluating potential infringement, sending demand letters, or responding to someone else’s claim is quoted as its own matter.
What to confirm before you sign.
Trademark providers package services differently. The useful comparison is not simply the lowest advertised number; it is who performs the legal work, which stages are included, and what additional charges may arise later.
| Question to compare | The Branding Iron | What to confirm with any provider |
|---|---|---|
| Who prepares the matter? | John E. Dugger, a former USPTO Trademark Examining Attorney | Ask who personally evaluates the search, develops strategy, and signs the filing |
| Attorney access | Direct communication with John | Ask whether attorney contact is included, scheduled, limited, or an upgrade |
| Clearance | Attorney-directed search plus written risk assessment | Ask whether the quoted price includes a legal assessment or only database results |
| Application drafting | Ownership, filing basis, goods/services, and specimen reviewed by counsel | Ask who selects the owner, basis, classes, and identification wording |
| First non-final Office Action | One complete response included, whether procedural or substantive | Ask whether substantive refusals are excluded or separately billed |
| Intent-to-use prosecution | Ordinary use filings and permitted extensions included; client pays USPTO fees | Ask what attorney fees apply after a Notice of Allowance |
| Price unit | Quoted per mark and per class | Confirm whether additional marks, logos, and classes create separate charges |
| Government fees | Shown separately | Confirm all USPTO fees and possible surcharges |
| Written scope | Flat fee confirmed in writing before work begins | Ask for inclusions and exclusions in writing before payment |
Pricing questions answered plainly.
Last updated July 2026.
Are government fees refundable?
Is the fee per mark or per class?
What is included?
What happens if the name is not clear?
Do you offer payment plans?
Is an Office Action included?
Are renewals included?
What will I know before signing?
"Mr. Dugger helped my business get a trademark license. He was very informative, easy to communicate with and reasonably priced. I would definitely use him for future services."
Individual experience. Results vary. Read all reviews.
Get a fee that’s specific to your mark.
Tell John what you are filing, and he will explain the likely scope and fee in plain terms, before anything is written down or signed.
No charge when attended as scheduled. A payment method is required to reserve a time. A $50 fee applies to cancellations or rescheduling with less than 24 hours' notice and missed appointments. Review the consultation policy.
Start with a trademark clearance assessment.
Before you invest in a full application, find out whether your name is worth filing. A former USPTO Trademark Examining Attorney reviews your proposed mark and delivers a written risk assessment with a clear recommendation. From $295 for one mark in one class, and less per mark when you clear several at once. No charge to submit the intake. If John confirms after the required conflicts check that he can accept the matter, your saved payment method is charged then and work begins. You are not charged if he cannot accept it.