Sunday, May 18th
2025 Patent Application Service Reviews
LegalShield
- Plans for patents from $49 to $169 per month
- Work with a lawyer
- All-inclusive business legal
- All necessary documentation included with lawyer
- 4.6-star average rating
- "A+” rating and accreditation from the BBB
LegalShield was founded in 1999 by Harland Stonecipher, as a platform giving you access to legal advice without the stress of expensive hourly fees. Today, LegalShield provides legal assistance to more than 4 million people and over 140,000 businesses across the U.S. Whether you need help with personal or business-related legal matters, (including patent applications), this service aims to make professional guidance more affordable than many of its competitors.
Hard to dig up the details
According to our research, there is no specific plan for patent applications at LegalShield. Our contact with customer service let us know that personal plans do not include any assistance with patent applications. You will need to secure a business plan that starts at the Essentials Plan pricing ($49 per month). It is unclear if LegalShield offers patent applications for the Essentials plan. Our customer service rep refused to answer the questions about this and requested that we transfer to another sales rep who was a "benefits specialist” instead. We were only able to find the details for the complete contract after adding a plan to the cart, and thankfully the $49 plan does include patents.
Plans from $29.95 to $169 per month
Instead of having patent application packages, LegalShield operates through monthly plans that offer you different levels of legal services and advice.
- The bottom tier is the Essentials Plan for $49 per month, which includes 10 letters or phone calls per year, 10 document reviews per year (up to 15 pages), and 5 collection letters per month.
- The second tier is the Plus Plan which costs $99 per month and includes double of all of the Essentials Plan features (20 letters/phone calls, 20 document reviews, and 10 collection letters).
- Finally, you can choose the Pro Plan which costs $169 per month and includes double (again) the total amount of services. So, there are 40 letters or phone calls and 40 document reviews. (The only one that doesn't double is collection letters, which is capped at 15.)
Notably, these packages are specifically for businesses. If you want personal or family plans, they run from $29.95 for Basic, $39.95 for Advanced, and $49.95 for Premium. They all include speaking with a lawyer and an unlimited number of personal legal issues.
Missing a solid refund policy
LegalShield doesn't have much in the way of a stated refund policy for its patent applications. There are only some brief instructions on the website for canceling your service with LegalShield. We tried to reach out again to customer service, but the answers were vague. The rep noted that members can request a refund, but the request will be "taken under review.” Refunds that are accepted are prorated (if you have an annual membership). When we asked clarifying questions about any requirements, we were again told to transfer, and then we were disconnected.
Top-notch attorney assistance
Despite our less-than-stellar experience with customer service during our research, LegalShield has a reliable reputation overall. It currently holds an "A+” and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. Plus, on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, LegalShield holds a 4.6-star average out of 5. Customers had high praise for LegalShield and called it "the most beneficial service” they'd ever used for legal matters. Many customers have been using the platform for years, and love their membership. Most businesses are using it for tax law and civil issues, though. While we couldn't find any recent reviews talking about the patent application services, the overall feeling is that attorneys are fast, helpful, and kind.
Great all-in-one legal site
If you're put off early on by LegalShield's less-than-transparent customer service reps, you might want to give the site another chance. LegalShield has a top reputation for helping out with legal matters - and helping quickly. Since the patent application is included in the lowest tier of service, you can get help with your patent without breaking the bank. While we'd love a bit more transparency on the website, LegalShield is still a top contender for all-inclusive legal assistance. If you're looking for a place that handles your patent application without the stress of DIY, you'll want to check out LegalShield.
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Where is the Best Place to Do Your Patent Application?
Have you created something new and exciting? A novel invention or a new process for a company? The next step after creating your groundbreaking invention is to protect it from being stolen by someone else.
The best way to do that? Get a patent for it. In the United States, completing a patent application successfully means that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) legally stops anyone who isn't the inventor (you) from making, using, or selling the product unless you have authorized it.
Patent Application Service FAQ
Continued from above...
Typically, a patent will last for 20 years after you've filed your application. There are three different patents depending on what kind of invention you're trying to protect. Utility patents cover inventions related to machines, manufactured objects, physical items, and/or improvements to these things. Design patents are for the ornamental or physical design of an item, and plant patents are for any distinct or new variety of growing plant including mutants, hybrids, or seedlings.
There are two ways to get a patent too: provisional and non-provisional. A provisional patent application lets you get the ball rolling to protect your invention in the short term. It's less formal, but it does expire after one year, and you must complete a non-provisional patent application in the interim. The non-provisional form will require more substantial details from you and an examination from a patent examiner at the USPTO. However, your patent does remain protected during the review period.
So, once you've got something to patent, how do you complete the process? For most people, patent applications can require a lot of research, details about your invention, filing procedures, and waiting. The process of submitting your patent application can be very tedious, especially the research portion. To successfully secure a patent, your invention will need to be novel (it needs to be something new or not too close to another invention that's already got a patent). But researching every other patent out there can take time (and money).
This is where patent application services come in. In most places, your paperwork will be completed by experts, so you don't have to worry about boring research and details. While a few services offer a low-cost DIY approach, the best patent application providers will give you the documents, complete the patent research for you, and provide guidance on best practices for filling out your patent application the right way the first time. Choosing a patent application service takes the guesswork out of the process and offers secure document sharing, helpful updates, and sometimes guarantees of application success.
If you're ready to get your new invention protected, there are plenty of patent application services to assist you in safeguarding your ideas. To that end, we've put together a few factors to help you choose the best service:
- Price. Pricing for submitting and getting your patent application together can be costly. It's important to know if you're comfortable with a lower-cost DIY approach or if you want to shell out for the full package. Some services let you pick and choose what you pay for, which can help keep costs down.
- Patent type. Not all patent application services offer the same patent support. Some specialize in utility patents, while others have more assistance for design patents. Make sure that your chosen service offers the type of patent application you need so you can get your invention protected pronto.
- Hands-on. If you're easily stressed out by the process, you may want to look for services that will do most of the patent application work for you. If you're more comfortable or have submitted a patent before, you might prefer one of the DIY-style services instead. Different services offer various levels of assistance, so make sure you get the amount of help you need.
- Reputation. Always check third-party reviews to see how a particular patent application service stacks up against its competitors. Seeing how well (or badly) the process went for another inventor can help you make a final decision. It's helpful to check the company's BBB rating as well, for an unbiased look at the company and its process.
To help you become the next Thomas Edison, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked today's most popular patent application services online today. This way, you can focus on adding new inventions to your list instead of worrying about protecting your intellectual property!
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