Inflationary pressures continue to plague us all following the governmental decisions after the pandemic. Sherman IP and its clients are no exception. In order to address these inflationary pressures and maintain its high-quality services, Sherman IP is making its annual increases of attorneys’/service fees including its flat fee, attorneys’ fee portion for all patent and trademark legal work. These increases will also affect Sherman IP’s flat fee filings made through Sherman IP’s Control Legal® practice platform.
Folks may recall that Sherman IP maintained its 2020 fee schedule into 2021 to help absorb/delay the 2021 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) fee increases and help our clients acclimate. That absorption was meant to allow our clients to maintain a consistent budget for anticipated filings. When our attorneys’ fees increased in 2022, we again delayed those increases to allow our clients to acclimate to our 2022 fee schedule. Each of those delays were really appreciated by our clients, and Sherman IP received significant positive feedback from clients and contacts expressing their appreciation.
While fee increases are never desired, the economic forces affecting us all affects Sherman IP as well. However, once again to allow our clients to acclimate to our new 2023 fee schedule, and to allow our clients to complete their work-in-progress and maintain anticipated budgets, any filings completed before February 13, 2023, will be assessed based on our 2022 fee schedule regardless as to when the work is/was ordered.
In quoting or issuing further invoices for any specific filing, Sherman IP staff will assess the likelihood that a filing will be completed by February 13, 2023. That means our team members will be asking you whether you actually have the materials and other items/information showing you are ready to file. The closer we get to February 13, 2023, the less likely it will be that your filing will be completed by February 13th, and the more likely that your filing will fall over into the new 2023 fee schedule. If that is the case, you will be assessed based on our new 2023 fee schedule.
Likewise, any previous unpaid flat fee invoices quoted through Sherman IP’s Control Legal® practice platform will expire on February 13, 2023, if the fees have not already been paid and/or filed prior to that date. We urge you to proceed without delay.
In Sherman IP’s Control Legal® practice platform, all work is conducted on a limited scope, flat fee basis. Each filing is quoted and invoiced separately, in advance. The quoted flat fee amount includes all project required attorneys’/service fees for that specific anticipated project/filing, as well as project required communications and calendaring involved in that project. A single, quoted, and agreed upon flat fee covers all anticipated work. While Sherman IP is your attorney representative with the USPTO in the matter originally retained for, any future work requires Sherman IP to be hired separately for an approved and/or pre-paid flat fee for a particular, anticipated scope of work which you can control and budget.
We recommend that clients consider filing their anticipated patent and trademark matters now to avoid the fee increases and that any foreign applicants contact us to make sure that their applications are represented appropriately. Sherman IP attorneys are specialists in representing clients before the USPTO for their patent and trademark matters.