Kansas City IP Law Firm | Patent, Trademark & Copyright Protection
Patent, Trademark & Copyright Protection for KC Innovators
Every day without proper intellectual property protection puts your competitive advantages at risk. Competitors can copy your designs. Knockoffs can dilute your trademark. Trade secrets can walk out the door with departing employees. Kansas City IP attorneys at IPCenter, address these risks with a full suite of IP legal services including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, cybersecurity, and IP litigation. Whether you’re developing breakthrough medical devices, pioneering agtech solutions, advancing animal health innovations, or solving problems in manufacturing or creating improvements in advertising, or developing consumer products, we combine deep technical expertise with proven legal strategies to transform your IP from vulnerable to valuable. Our 5-step KC IP law firm process begins with a free initial consultation where we assess your IP landscape and develop a customized IP strategy tailored to your business goals and budget. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Table of Contents
Legal Services
💡Patent Protection
Price: $4,000–$15,000* Timeline: 18-36 months
Protect Your Innovation with Kansas City Patent Attorneys Who Speak Your Language
Your invention deserves protection that works as hard as you do. Our Kansas City patent lawyers combine deep technical expertise—engineering, physics, and computer science backgrounds—with practical business insight to transform your innovations into defensible assets. Why Kansas City Inventors Choose Us:
💡Patent Protection
Price: $4,000–$15,000* Timeline: 18-36 months
Protect Your Innovation with Kansas City Patent Attorneys Who Speak Your Language
Your invention deserves protection that works as hard as you do. Our Kansas City patent lawyers combine deep technical expertise—engineering, physics, and computer science backgrounds—with practical business insight to transform your innovations into defensible assets. Why Kansas City Inventors Choose Us:
Patent Protection
Kansas City IP Law Firm understands the regional industries driving innovation in Kansas City. From the Animal Health Corridor's veterinary breakthroughs to agtech manufacturing and software development, we've helped inventors across sectors secure patent protection that delivers real competitive advantages.
Patent Services Tailored to Your Needs:
Provisional Patents – Establish your priority date quickly and affordably
Utility Patents – Protect how your invention works and what it does
Design Patents – Secure the unique visual appearance of your product
Midwestern Values, Nationwide Protection:
You'll work directly with experienced patent attorneys—not paralegals or offshore teams. We offer transparent, competitive pricing without sacrificing the quality your invention deserves. Every application is thoroughly prepared and filed with the USPTO only after your review and approval.
Ready to protect your innovation? Contact our Kansas City patent attorneys to discuss how we can help turn your ideas into intellectual property assets.
*Price reflects a typical price. Actual prices may vary based on the specific fees or additional services. In addition, there may be additional costs for office actions or oppositions.
®️Trademarks
Price: $1,500–$3,500*
Timeline: 12-18 months
Defend Your Brand with Kansas City Trademark Attorneys Who Protect What You've Built
Your brand is more than a name—it's your reputation, your customer relationships, and your competitive edge. Our Kansas City trademark lawyers help you secure and defend the brand identity that sets your business apart.Complete Trademark Protection for KC Businesses:
®️Trademarks
Price: $1,500–$3,500*
Timeline: 12-18 months
Defend Your Brand with Kansas City Trademark Attorneys Who Protect What You've Built
Your brand is more than a name—it's your reputation, your customer relationships, and your competitive edge. Our Kansas City trademark lawyers help you secure and defend the brand identity that sets your business apart.Complete Trademark Protection for KC Businesses:
Trademarks
Whether you're launching a startup in the Crossroads, expanding a Plaza retail presence, or growing a regional manufacturing brand, IPCenter provides strategic trademark services to help protect your brand:
Comprehensive Trademark Searches – Identify potential conflicts before branding
Federal & State Trademark Applications – Register your marks with federally (with the USPTO) or at the state leval (Missouri / Kansas)
Trademark Enforcement – Defend against infringement
Portfolio Management – Monitor and maintain your trademark rights over time
Local Insight, Nationwide Protection:
We understand Kansas City's business landscape—from craft breweries and our favorite BBQ joints to agtech innovators and tech startups. Our attorneys can help you decide which marks are best to protect and can help build a trademark strategy to grow with your business.
Transparent pricing. Direct attorney access. Midwestern values.
Before filing, researching and vetting your brand can help avoid issues down the road. Ensuring you're investing in the best trademark protection.
Ready to protect your brand? Contact our Kansas City trademark attorneys to discuss your trademark needs.
©️ Copyrights
Price: $500–$2,000*
Timeline: 3-8 months
Protect Your Creative Work with Kansas City Copyright Attorneys Who Value Art
Your creative work represents hours of talent, effort, and inspiration. Our Kansas City copyright lawyers help authors, artists, musicians, software developers, and content creators secure the legal protection their artwork deserves. Comprehensive Copyright Services for KC Creators:
©️ Copyrights
Price: $500–$2,000*Timeline: 3-8 months
Protect Your Creative Work with Kansas City Copyright Attorneys Who Value Art
Your creative work represents hours of talent, effort, and inspiration. Our Kansas City copyright lawyers help authors, artists, musicians, software developers, and content creators secure the legal protection their artwork deserves. Comprehensive Copyright Services for KC Creators:
Copyrights
From independent artists in the Crossroads Arts District to tech developers building the next breakthrough app, we provide copyright protection tailored to your creative industry:
Copyright Registration – Establish your legal rights and eligibility for statutory damages
Licensing Agreements – Monetize your work while maintaining control over how it's used
Infringement Defense – Take action against unauthorized use, piracy, and theft
Work-for-Hire Contracts – Clarify ownership rights in collaborative projects
Protecting Kansas City's Creative Community:
We understand the unique challenges facing creators in Kansas City's thriving arts, music, and tech scenes. Whether you're publishing a book, releasing an album, launching software, or exhibiting visual art, we help you protect what you create.
Affordable protection. Creative solutions. Midwestern integrity.
Every copyright registration is carefully prepared to maximize your legal protections, and we only file with the U.S. Copyright Office after your approval.
Ready to protect your creative work? Contact our Kansas City copyright attorneys to discuss your copyright needs.
*Price includes typical work on application and customary filing fees. Licensing and infringement services quoted separately.
🛡️Cyber Security
Price: $2,000–$10,000++*
Timeline: 2-12 weeks
Protect Your Digital Assets with Kansas City Cyber Law Attorneys Who Understand Technology
In today's digital economy, your most valuable assets exist in virtual space—AI algorithms, blockchain protocols, software code, proprietary data, and digital content. Our Kansas City cyber law attorneys combine deep technical knowledge with IP expertise to protect what you've built in the digital world. Comprehensive Digital Asset Protection:
🛡️Cyber Security
Price: $2,000–$10,000++*Timeline: 2-12 weeks
Protect Your Digital Assets with Kansas City Cyber Law Attorneys Who Understand Technology
In today's digital economy, your most valuable assets exist in virtual space—AI algorithms, blockchain protocols, software code, proprietary data, and digital content. Our Kansas City cyber law attorneys combine deep technical knowledge with IP expertise to protect what you've built in the digital world. Comprehensive Digital Asset Protection:
Cyber Security
From AI startups in Kansas City's growing tech corridor to established software companies and digital innovators, we protect the assets that drive your competitive advantage:
AI & Machine Learning Protection – Secure patents for algorithms, protect training data as trade secrets, establish ownership of AI-generated content
Blockchain & Digital Assets – Patent blockchain innovations, protect smart contracts, clarify NFT rights, and establish legal frameworks for cryptocurrency assets
Software & Source Code – Register copyrights, implement trade secret protections, structure licensing agreements, and defend against piracy
Proprietary Data & Analytics – Protect customer databases, competitive intelligence, and algorithmic innovations through comprehensive trade secret programs
Digital Content Rights – Secure copyrights for websites, videos, podcasts, and digital media while enforcing rights against infringement
Domain & Online Brand – Register domain portfolios, resolve cybersquatting disputes, and protect your digital brand identity
Technical Expertise Meets Legal Strategy:
We understand the technology behind your innovations. Our attorneys speak the language of developers, data scientists, and digital entrepreneurs—enabling us to craft protection strategies that actually work in the real world of technology businesses.
Proactive protection. Aggressive enforcement. Real results.
Whether you're securing patents for AI innovations, protecting trade secrets after a breach, licensing software platforms, or enforcing rights against digital theft, we provide technically-informed legal counsel that preserves asset value.
Ready to protect your digital innovations? Contact our Kansas City cyber law attorneys to discuss your technology and digital asset needs.
*Price is only an estimate of typical prices. Individual prices may vary significantly based on scope—from drafting a single NDA to drafting a comprehensive AI patent which may substantially exceed the estimate. Complex matters quoted individually.
🔒 Trade Secrets
Price: $1,000–$5,000*
Timeline: 2-6 weeks
Safeguard Your Competitive Edge with Kansas City Trade Secret Attorneys
Your confidential business information—customer lists, formulas, processes, and proprietary methods—can be your greatest competitive advantage. Our Kansas City IP lawyers help you protect trade secrets that keep you ahead in the marketplace. Comprehensive Trade Secret Protection:
🔒 Trade Secrets
Price: $1,000–$5,000*Timeline: 2-6 weeks
Safeguard Your Competitive Edge with Kansas City Trade Secret Attorneys
Your confidential business information—customer lists, formulas, processes, and proprietary methods—can be your greatest competitive advantage. Our Kansas City IP lawyers help you protect trade secrets that keep you ahead in the marketplace. Comprehensive Trade Secret Protection:
Trade Secrets
From manufacturing processes in Kansas City's industrial sectors to proprietary algorithms in our growing tech community, Kansas City IP Law Firm creates legal frameworks to help keep your secrets safe:
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) – Protect confidential information shared with employees, contractors, and partners
Trade Secret Audits – Identify which business information qualifies for protection
Employee Agreements – Implement confidentiality and non-compete provisions
Misappropriation Response – Take swift legal action when trade secrets are stolen or leaked
Trade Secret Policies – Establish company-wide procedures to maintain secrecy
Protecting Kansas City Businesses Across Industries:
Whether you're developing proprietary feed formulations in the Animal Health Corridor, protecting manufacturing techniques, or safeguarding customer databases, we understand what makes your business valuable—and how to keep it confidential.
Proactive protection. Rapid response. Practical counsel.
We draft enforceable agreements and implement strategies that protect your trade secrets before problems arise, not after.
Ready to protect your confidential information? Contact our Kansas City trade secret attorneys to discuss your business needs.
*Price varies based on complexity and number of agreements. Trade secret litigation quoted separately.
⚖️IP Litigation
Price: $25,000–$500,000+*
Timeline: 12-36 months
Defend Your Innovation with Kansas City IP Litigation Attorneys Who Fight to Win
When someone steals your innovation, copies your brand, or threatens your competitive edge, you need aggressive legal representation that understands what's at stake. Our Kansas City IP litigation attorneys have successfully handled high-stakes disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets—sometimes with millions of dollars on the line.
Comprehensive IP Litigation Services:
⚖️IP Litigation
Price: $25,000–$500,000+*Timeline: 12-36 months
Defend Your Innovation with Kansas City IP Litigation Attorneys Who Fight to Win
When someone steals your innovation, copies your brand, or threatens your competitive edge, you need aggressive legal representation that understands what's at stake. Our Kansas City IP litigation attorneys have successfully handled high-stakes disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets—sometimes with millions of dollars on the line.
Comprehensive IP Litigation Services:
IP Litigation
From startups defending breakthrough innovations to established companies protecting market share, we've litigated intellectual property disputes across federal and state courts in diverse industries:
Patent Infringement Litigation – Enforce utility and design patents, defend invalidity challenges, pursue preliminary injunctions and damages in federal court
Trademark Infringement & Brand Protection – Stop unauthorized use of your marks, combat cybersquatting, litigate trade dress and unfair competition claims
Copyright Infringement – Protect software, digital content, marketing materials, and creative works; defend against baseless claims from major organizations
Trade Secret Misappropriation – Pursue emergency injunctions, stop former employees from stealing confidential information, recover damages under the DTSA
Unfair Competition Claims – Combat false advertising, product design copying, and deceptive business practices that harm your market position
Industry Experience across Kansas City:
At the IPCenter, we've represented clients ranging from nationally renowned artists to agricultural innovators, software developers to manufacturing companies. Our experience spans the Animal Health Corridor, KC's tech sector, entertainment, and industrial manufacturing—we understand both the law and your business context.
Strategic litigation. Aggressive enforcement. Cost-effective resolution.
Not every dispute requires full-scale litigation. Our Kansas City IP Law Firm, evaluates settlement opportunities, considers alternative dispute resolution options including the Court's early mediation and assessment program for early case resolution to achieve your objectives efficiently. When trial is necessary, we're prepared to fight.
Alternative Fee Arrangements Available: We consider contingency fees and flexible billing arrangements on a case-by-case basis, depending on case merits and individual circumstances.
Facing an IP dispute? Contact our Kansas City IP litigation attorneys immediately—early action preserves evidence, protects your rights, and positions you for the best possible outcome.
*Prices are only estimates of typical cases. Because each case is unique the actual litigation costs vary significantly based on case complexity, the opposing counsel, the court, the facts of each case, the settlement timing, and trial requirements. While simple disputes may resolve for $25,000-$50,000, complex cases can exceed several hundred thousand dollars.
Our Kansas City IP Law Firm Process
You’ve invested countless hours into your innovation—a groundbreaking product, a distinctive brand, or a powerful piece of software. Now, it’s time to protect it. To help provide a clear plan we have developed the following 5-step process to guide you through how to obtain intellectual property protection for your innovation.
With more than 20 years of IP experience our firm and our various partners are here to help you develop your with to develop IP strategies that support your business goals. The following 5-step process is designed to be transparent, efficient, and help inform you on your path to protect your intellectual property.
Interested in learning more? Schedule an informational consultation.
Step 1: Free Consultation 📞
Your innovation deserves protection—and a law firm that treats it that way.
Our process begins with a collaborative Initial Consultation. In this focused 20-30 minute session, you’ll speak directly with one of our IP attorneys to help align your IP goals with your business strategy, budget, and timeline.
What We Will Discuss: We’ll explore your innovation in your terms. Bring your sketches, prototypes, or concepts. Whatever you need to explain your innovation, bring it and we’ll help you understand the roles of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets in a strategy.
Your Takeaway: As part of most discussions we figure out the next potential next steps if you decide to retain us, we discuss general costs, and typical timelines.
Disclaimer: This initial consultation is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes
Step 2: Research & Strategy 🔍
We provide a strategic path forward—not just paperwork.
Depending on the scope of representation, once we are retained, before we prepare an application, we can conduct a professional search to assess the landscape and help inform future IP strategy. This step is critical to making a reasoned, data-driven decision to protect your IP.
Patentability Searches: We can research existing patents, published patent applications and publications to evaluate the potential patentability of your invention, and identify potential hurdles.
Trademark Clearance Searches: We can check federal and state databases for similar marks to assess the availability of your proposed brand name or logo.
Based on the scope of our representation, if a search is conducted you receive the results of our search, which we can review and discuss with you to help strategize the next steps in protecting your IP to help you achieve your business milestones. For patent and copyright clients with urgent needs, we can discuss the ability to seek expedited examination using e.g., USPTO’s Track One Prioritized Examination program.
Disclaimer: While searches are a valuable tool in assessing risk, they cannot guarantee the issuance of a patent or registration of a trademark.
Step 3: Application Preparation ✍️
✍️
IP Applications: Crafted for Precision, Built for Purpose.
Depending on the scope of representation, the next step in the process is to protect your intellectual property with an application.
For Patent Applications: We create an application to serve as guide for helping to describe your invention. Typically, the applications are intended to address the critical Patent requirements e.g. writen descrption and enablement. In simple terms, we describe your invention to help a person of ordinary skilled, to understand, make and use the invention. The final application will include at least one claim, a detailed technical description and professional drawings, if required.
For Trademarks: We prepare applications based on information obtained from you with guidance from the USPTO ID Manual. We also include and can help with obtaining providing appropriate specimens (proof of use).
For Copyrights: We prepare and file applications with the U.S. Copyright Office’s to register original works of art, including books, drawings, illustrations, paintings, photographs, music, etc.
The difference? Applications drafted by experienced IP attorneys who understand both USPTO requirements and real-world business needs—resulting in stronger protection and fewer roadblocks.
Step 4: Filing & Prosecution 📋
📋
Filing with Foresight, Prosecuting with Purpose.
Once you approve the application, we transition from architect to advocate, championing your intellectual property through the entire prosecution process. We manage all communications with the USPTO or Copyright Office not just as a procedural step, but as a critical opportunity to negotiate and secure the strongest, most commercially valuable protection for your asset.
Strategic Responses: In addition to answering questions from the relevant agencies; we also address their concerns with strategic analysis to uncover potential opportunities to further uncover additional potentials for your intellecual property.
In partnership with you, we prepare strategic amendments designed to overcome rejections while preserving the scope and strength of your IP.
Proactive Guidance: This phase is a dynamic dialogue. As we negotiate with the government, we can provide ongoing strategic considerations on how the process can be leveraged to support your optimal growth, adapting to shifts in your business goals and timelines.
A Partnership in Strategy: Our goal is to keep you involved and empowered in the process. We try to ensure our prosecution strategy is aligned with your business strategy, turning a complex legal process into a value-creation opportunity for you and your company.
Step 5: Grant & Protection ✅
Beyond Registration: Protect, Monetize, and Grow Your IP.
Securing your patent, copyright, or trademark is just the beginning. The true value of your intellectual property unfolds when it is proactively managed, vigorously defended, and strategically leveraged as a core business asset. Our post-registration services are designed to ensure your IP portfolio works as hard as you do to safeguard your market position and create new opportunities for growth.
Vigilant Maintenance for Lasting Protection
An IP portfolio requires diligent upkeep to remain enforceable. We help you manage the critical deadlines that keep your rights in force.
For Trademarks: We prepare and file timely 5- and 10-year renewals, including guidance on providing proper specimens of use to prevent cancellation and preserve your brand’s integrity.
For Patents: We manage the periodic maintenance fee payments (at the 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5-year marks) required to maintain your patent’s enforceability for its full statutory term.
Strategic Monetization and Growth
Beyond defense, your IP can be a powerful engine for revenue. We can guide you in developing and executing strategies to unlock its financial potential.
Licensing Agreements: We can assist in structuring agreements to generate new revenue streams from your technology or brand.
Strategic Partnerships: We advise on the IP-related aspects of partnerships, collaborations, and other business relationships to expand your market reach.
Active Defense Against Infringement
Should potential infringement arise, we are prepared to take swift, strategic action to protect your rights.
Initial Enforcement: Our services include sending cease and desist or demand letters to resolve disputes efficiently.
Administrative Actions: We can pursue Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB) proceedings if needed to address post-registration issues.
Federal Litigation: When necessary, we are prepared to file litigation in federal court to enforce your intellectual property rights.
Industries We Serve in Kansas City
🐾 Animal Health & AgTech Innovation
Animal Health & AgTech
Animal Health & AgTech Innovation
Kansas City is home to the Animal Health Corridor—the world's largest concentration of animal health and nutrition companies. Our IP attorneys protect the innovations that drive this vital industry.
We understand the unique challenges facing animal health and agtech companies, from veterinary pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tools to precision agriculture and livestock nutrition. Whether you're developing new biologics, creating smart farming technologies, or innovating in animal nutrition, we provide tailored intellectual property protection.
Our services include securing patents for novel formulations, registering trademarks for animal health brands, protecting proprietary research as trade secrets, and defending against infringement. With deep roots in Kansas City's signature industry, we help Animal Health Corridor companies maintain their competitive advantage in both domestic and international markets.
🏥 Medical Devices & Healthcare Innovation
Medical Devices
Medical Devices & Healthcare Innovation
Kansas City's healthcare innovation ecosystem, anchored by world-class institutions like the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, drives breakthrough discoveries in medical technology and life sciences. Our IP attorneys protect the innovations that improve patient care and save lives.
We work with medical device manufacturers and healthcare technology companies developing diagnostic equipment, surgical instruments, wearable monitors, and digital health platforms. Our services include securing patents for medical device innovations, protecting healthcare software and algorithms, registering medical brands, and safeguarding clinical data as trade secrets. We understand FDA regulatory considerations and help you build IP portfolios that support commercialization, attract investment, and defend against competitors in this specialized industry.
📢 Advertising & Marketing Innovation
Advertising & Marketing
Advertising & Marketing Innovation
Kansas City's vibrant advertising and marketing sector—home to creative agencies, digital marketing firms, and brand strategists—generates valuable intellectual property that demands protection. Our IP attorneys safeguard the creative work and strategic assets that drive successful campaigns.
We protect advertising copy, brand identities, marketing materials, creative concepts, proprietary client lists, and digital content. Our services include registering copyrights for original creative work, securing trademarks for brand campaigns, drafting confidentiality agreements to protect client strategies, and enforcing rights against unauthorized use. Whether you're a full-service agency, boutique creative shop, or in-house marketing team, we help you protect taglines, logos, campaign concepts, and proprietary marketing methodologies. We understand the fast-paced nature of the industry and provide efficient IP protection that keeps your creative assets secure.
🏭 Advanced Manufacturing & Industrial Innovation
Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing & Industrial Innovation
Kansas City's manufacturing heritage runs deep—from historic industrial roots to today's advanced manufacturing technologies. Our IP attorneys protect the innovations that keep KC manufacturers competitive in global markets.
We work with companies developing proprietary manufacturing processes, industrial equipment, automation systems, and specialized tooling. Our services include securing patents for mechanical innovations and process improvements, protecting trade secrets like production methods and quality control systems, registering trademarks for industrial brands, and defending against competitors who copy your designs. Whether you're in aerospace components, automotive parts, industrial machinery, or custom fabrication, we understand the technical complexities of manufacturing IP. We help Kansas City's manufacturers protect the innovations that drive efficiency, quality, and competitive advantage in an industry built on precision and expertise.
💾 Technology & Software Innovation
Technology & Software
Technology & Software Innovation
Kansas City's tech scene is booming—from the startup ecosystem in the Crossroads and Garmin, Cerner, DST and Sprint Accelerator alumni to established software companies driving digital transformation. Our IP attorneys protect the innovations fueling KC's technology growth.
We work with software developers, SaaS companies, app creators, and tech startups protecting source code, algorithms, user interfaces, and digital platforms. Our services include securing software patents, registering copyrights for code and documentation, protecting proprietary data and APIs as trade secrets, and drafting licensing agreements that preserve your rights. Whether you're launching a mobile app, building enterprise software, or developing AI and machine learning solutions, we provide IP protection tailored to fast-moving tech companies. We help Kansas City's innovators secure funding, attract talent, and scale successfully by building strong intellectual property portfolios.
🛒🛍️💰 Consumer Products & Brand Development
Consumer Products
Consumer Products & Brand Development
Kansas City entrepreneurs and inventors are building thriving consumer brands—from local craft breweries and BBQ sauce makers to e-commerce startups and lifestyle product innovators. Our IP attorneys help product creators protect what makes their offerings unique in competitive markets.
We work with inventors, direct-to-consumer brands, and retailers developing distinctive products and brand identities. Our services include securing utility patents for functional innovations, design patents for unique product appearances, trademark registration for brand names and logos, trade dress protection for distinctive packaging, and trade secret safeguards for proprietary formulations and manufacturing processes. Whether you're patenting a new kitchen gadget, launching an e-commerce brand, developing a food or beverage line, or bringing an invention to market, we provide comprehensive IP protection. We help Kansas City's consumer product entrepreneurs defend against knockoffs, build brand equity, and scale their businesses with strong intellectual property foundations.
In Kansas City, IP protection costs vary by what you’re protecting, expect roughly $1,000 for a typical trademark application, $400+ for copyrights, and $5,000–$12,000 for a patent application. Think of it as investing in your and your company's future. Disclaimer: These are general estimates; actual fees will vary and depend on your specific needs and filing requirements.
Choosing a Kansas City IP law firm offers real advantages—cost-effective rates, personal access to experienced attorneys, and a deep understanding of local innovation from the Animal Health Corridor to emerging tech startups. Our firm delivers big-firm intellectual property expertise with Midwestern values.
We proudly serve innovators across the Kansas City metro including throughout Missouri and Kansas alike, from downtown’s startup hubs, to the Plaza, to Olathe, Overland Park and Leawood. We even have some clients up in North KC. Wherever creativity thrives, we’re there to support and protect it.
There is no "off-the-shelf" patent. For Utility patent applications, they typically take about 4-6 weeks after drawings are completed. After filing, they often receive a response from the USPTO in about 18-22 months, though times vary significantly.
Design patents take about 2 weeks to prepare (or less) and take about 12-24 months in total.
Times can be expedited to within 12 months, if needed.
These are estimates only; actual times vary.
Patent attorneys and patent agents are similiar in that both draft and prosecute patent applications with the USPTO.
However, a patent attorney is also a licensed lawyer and able to give legal advice about the patent, the enforcement of the patent, licensing the patent and represent you in court.
Patent agents can not and are limited to preparing and filing patents with the USPTO.
Yes — you can file a patent or trademark yourself. However, patent law is complex, and without experienced guidance, you risk getting protection that’s weak or unenforceable. An experienced patent attorney considers the legal and strategic paths to not only strengthens your application but to help limit frustration down the road. For trademarks, foreign applicants must use a U.S.-licensed attorney.
Patentability is the same throughout the United States, so in Kansas City the same rules apply: utility patents cover any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, including improvements.
Excluded are abstract ideas, laws of nature, and natural phenomena.
Local examples include veterinary diagnostics, vaccines, and pet nutrition innovations in the KC Animal Health Corridor.
GPS wearables, avionics, and navigation devices from Garmin, showcase the area's innovation in electronics and aerospace.
Other clusters span health IT, logistics, e‑commerce, tech, and food and brewing equipment.
Design patents protect an article’s ornamental appearance, and plant patents cover distinct asexually reproduced plants.
Many of our clients operate on the statelines of Kansas and Missouri, so it often makes sense to pursue nationwide (federal) protection. In some cases, a better strategy is to pursue state registrations.
Federal registration provides nationwide rights and allows for stronger enforcement.
Kansas and Missouri also offer state TM registrations for in‑state protection.
The process typically involves a search, filing of the application, examination, and if warranted, registration.
While federal filings take longer and cost more they offer stronger enforcement and use of the ® symbol nationwide.
As an IP Law firm located in Kansas City, we serve many of the KC industries, including animal health & agtech, medical and medical devices, advanced manufacturing, technology and software, consumer products, and biotechnology across the KC metro area.
As a global animal health hub, we also support KC's deep manufacturing heritage, the growing tech/startup companies, consumer brands, and world‑class research institutions in the KC area.
Yes—even though you may be based in Kansas City, in the right circumstances, we can assist with international IP protection through international processes, like the the PCT (for patents) and the Madrid Protocol (for trademarks), which allow for multi‑country filing and protection.
If you are interested, contact us.