Summary of the AIPLA 1996 Survey on the Costs of Obtaining and Enforcing IP Rights

Summary of the AIPLA 1996 Survey

on the costs of obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights

The American Intellectual Property Law Association conducted a survey in 1996 to collect statistics on the median costs of obtaining intellectual property rights and enforcing intellectual property rights. This is a summary.

Obtaining Intellectual Property Rights

Median Costs

$ 298   Trademark Declaration

  302   Trademark Renewal

  900   Novelty Search, Analysis and Opinion

3,725   Minimal Complexity Utility Application

7,500   Computer Hardware/Software Application

  241   Information Disclosure Statement

1,102   Average Amendment/Argument (response to Office Action)

1,819   Amendment/Argument for Complex Computer Hardware/Software

3,000   Appeal Brief (to Board Of Patent Appeals and Interferences)

  500   File A U.S. Application Abroad (non-PCT)

  550   File A U.S. Application with the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

  498   Enter National Stage From A PCT Application

  200   Copyright Registration Application

Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights

Median Cost Through:

Discovery     Trial

$601,000     $1,201,000   Patent Infringement Suit

  150,000     249,000   Trademark Infringement Suit

  99,000     180,000   Copyright Infringement Suit

  202,000     399,000   Trade Secret Misappropriation Suit

Median Cost Of A Patent Infringement Suit Through:

Through Discovery   Through Trial

$ 200,000     $ 301,000   less than $1 million at risk

  450,000     748,000   $1-$10 million at risk

 1,208,000     1,993,000   $10-100 million at risk

 1,983,000     3,042,000   more than $100 million at risk