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Most inventors have no idea how dramatically different the patent experience is depending on the attorney’s billing model. Let’s break down flat fee vs. hourly, without spin.
Hourly billing: the traditional model
Most patent firms charge:
$350-$900+ per hour for attorneys
$150-$300 per hour for paralegals
$1,500-$3,000 for prior art searches
$8,000-$20,000+ for drafting
$2,000-$5,000 for each Office Action
extra for examiner interviews
extra for RCEs
extra for appeals
Total cost from start to finish often exceeds $25,000-$40,000.
Problems with hourly billing:
No cost certainty
No incentive for efficiency
Risk of “invisible bloat”
Unpredictable prosecution costs
No alignment between attorney and client interests
You can’t budget. You can’t plan. You can’t predict.
Flat-fee patent prosecution: what it should mean
A true flat-fee model should include:
drafting
drawings
filing
USPTO micro-entity fees
responding to Office Actions
examiner interviews
prosecution through issuance
…without incremental charges.
Unfortunately, many firms advertise “flat fee drafting,” but then charge hourly for everything else, especially prosecution.
How my model is different
Patent My Product, PLC is:
fully flat-fee
fully transparent
fully predictable
fully expedited
fully prosecuted through to issuance or final office action
The total = $15,000 for all three steps.
No hourly billing. No nickel-and-diming. No surprise statements.
I don’t get paid unless we succeed.
I have zero incentive to drag things out.
I want the strongest, cleanest, most direct path to allowance.
Hourly billing means slow cases are profitable. My model makes successful cases profitable.
So which is better?
For most inventors, especially individuals, startups, and small businesses, the flat-fee model is overwhelmingly better because:
You know exactly what you’ll spend.
You know what’s included.
You know the timeline.
You know the incentives are aligned.
The hourly model only works if:
you have a very large budget,
cost doesn’t matter, and
time isn’t important.
Most inventors don’t live in that world.
The bottom line
If you want:
cost certainty
a predictable timeline
aligned incentives
a seasoned patent attorney
a vetted, disciplined system
…then a pure flat-fee model like mine is the right fit.
👉 Start with Step 1 to see whether your invention qualifies for the process.
If you want them now, say “Proceed with the next batch.”
The Step 1 readiness call is free for a limited time. Bring your idea and your questions, and get a straight answer.
Book Your Free Readiness Call