Frequently Asked Questions
For Founders and Innovators
When is the best time to file a patent for my startup?
The ideal time to file is once you’ve developed a unique innovation that gives your startup a competitive edge, and before you publicly disclose it. In practice, this often means filing after you’ve finalized the core features of your product but prior to any public launch or investor demo. Filing early secures a priority date against competitors, while waiting until core concepts are settled helps ensure the patent application fully captures your invention. Timing is a balance, file too early and you might patent an unrefined idea; file too late and you risk someone else beating you to the patent office or losing foreign patent rights after public disclosure.
What kinds of ideas or inventions should I patent?
Focus on patenting innovations that are core to your business and truly novel, those that provide a unique product, process, or design advantage in your industry. Not every idea needs a patent; the best candidates are solutions that solve technical problems in a non-obvious way and would be valuable (and potentially easy for competitors to replicate) in the marketplace. In short, patent the inventions that differentiate your product or technology and are aligned with your long-term business strategy, and skip ones that are marginal or outside your company’s focus.
How much do patents cost, and are they worth the investment for a startup?
Patent costs can vary, but obtaining a single U.S. utility patent typically runs on the order of tens of thousands of dollars over a few years (often around $15,000–$20,000 total). This covers patent drafting, USPTO fees, and prosecution (back-and-forth with the patent office). It’s a significant investment, so you should weigh the return: a patent is “worth it” if it protects an innovation with real market potential and prevents copycats, thereby enhancing your company’s value. If an invention has little market value or isn’t easily copied, the ROI might not justify the expense. For many startups, a smart approach is to file provisional patents first (lower cost placeholders) and only commit to full patents on the ideas that show business traction.
Why do we need a patent strategy instead of just filing patents as we go?
A patent strategy ensures you invest in the right IP at the right time rather than filing haphazardly. Without a clear strategy, you risk wasting time and money on patents that don’t truly enhance your company’s value. A good strategy will map your patent efforts to your business goals, for example, targeting core technologies or key market differentiators first, considering international filings if you plan to expand globally, and timing filings to match product development and fundraising milestones. In short, strategy prevents random acts of patenting and instead builds an IP portfolio that actually strengthens your startup’s competitive position.
Do I need to be venture-backed to work with Novitas, or can independent inventors and small businesses get help too?
You don’t need VC funding to engage Novitas, we work with clients of all sizes, from solo inventors and small businesses to venture-backed startups. Our mission is to help innovators safeguard their ideas and develop smart patents, regardless of their funding status. In fact, our examiner-informed approach and cost-effective strategies are often just as valuable to independent inventors or bootstrapped entrepreneurs as to well-funded companies. We tailor our services to your situation, ensuring even first-time inventors get guidance through each step of the patent process.
For Law Firm Partners
How does Novitas collaborate with patent law firms?
Novitas often partners with law firms as a non-competitive extension of their patent team. We can assist with specialized tasks like prior art searches, patent application drafting, claim strategy, or preparing office action responses when your firm’s bandwidth is stretched. All work is done confidentially and can be white-labeled to your firm’s standards, we’re here to make you look good. Importantly, we do not compete for your clients’ legal business (for example, we don’t handle litigation or trademark matters); our role is to support and enhance your services. Law firms typically engage us to handle overflow work or technically complex cases that require extra expertise, rather than hiring full-time in-house staff. In every engagement, we respect conflict boundaries and confidentiality, functioning purely as a collaborative resource.
What technical domains can your team support?
Our team has experience across a broad range of technologies, so we can likely handle whatever technical area you need. For instance, our Managing Director alone has drafted and managed patents in fields ranging from cybersecurity, software, IoT, and artificial intelligence to medical devices, semiconductors, telecom, oil & gas, and even business methods. Similarly, our patent strategists have backgrounds in electrical engineering, computer science, and other disciplines, including hands-on USPTO examiner experience in areas like power systems and circuitry. This means we can quickly grasp complex inventions in electronics, software, mechanical systems, life sciences, and more. If a technology falls outside our core expertise, we’ll be upfront and can tap into our network of specialists, but in practice, we haven’t met a startup technology we couldn’t understand and strategize around.
For Investors and Accelerators
How does Novitas ensure startups are “IP ready” for investors or accelerator programs?
We help startups put their IP house in order so that investors and accelerators can have confidence in the venture’s innovation. This includes conducting thorough patentability searches early (many investors want to see a professional search report to confirm the idea’s novelty before investing), and guiding the founders to file provisional or utility patent applications on key innovations at the right time. We often work with accelerator cohorts or VC portfolios by providing patent strategy workshops, one-on-one coaching, or an “IP readiness” checklist to identify any gaps. By Demo Day or due diligence time, a startup that’s worked with Novitas will have a clear patent strategy, evidence of novelty (search results), and ideally some patent filings in progress, all of which signals to investors that the company’s intellectual property is being well managed. Strong patent positioning can reduce investor risk and even boost a startup’s valuation, and we strive to deliver that advantage within the timeframe of an accelerator program or funding round.
General Questions
Is the initial consultation really free, and what can I expect from it?
Yes, at Novitas IP Consulting we offer a complimentary initial consultation to all prospective clients. This first meeting (usually a call or video chat) is a chance for us to learn about your invention, your business goals, and any pressing IP concerns you have. We’ll give you some high-level feedback or pointers and determine if our services are a good fit for your needs. There’s no obligation and no hard sell, our goal is to ensure we can truly add value to your patent situation before you commit to anything.
What is an “examiner-informed” patent strategy?
“Examiner-informed” means our approach is guided by insights from former USPTO patent examiners on our team. We’ve sat on the other side of the desk, examining patent applications, so we know exactly what examiners look for and what triggers rejections. We leverage that insider perspective to draft applications and claims that anticipate examiners’ concerns, leading to stronger patents that are more likely to be allowed with fewer hurdles. In practice, an examiner-informed strategy might involve deeper prior art searching (since we know the search strategies the USPTO might use) and crafting claim language to avoid common pitfalls. The result is a patent prosecution process that’s more efficient and targeted, saving our clients time, reducing back-and-forth with the patent office, and improving the chances of securing robust patent rights.
How is Novitas different from a traditional patent law firm?
Novitas IP Consulting is not a law firm, we are a patent strategy and consulting firm led by patent practitioners. The distinction is in our approach and scope: we focus on strategic patent portfolio development and high-quality patent drafting/prosecution without the big-law overhead or adversarial legal services. For example, we don’t engage in litigation or trademark filings; instead, we concentrate on obtaining and strengthening patents for our clients. Because we’re a lean practice with examiner expertise, our services tend to be more cost-effective and hands-on than a typical large firm (which often have higher fees due to big city offices and overhead). We also position ourselves as collaborators, if you already have a patent attorney or in-house counsel, we work alongside them rather than competing. In short, you get the benefit of former USPTO examiners and seasoned patent professionals crafting a strategy for you, often at a lower cost and with more personal attention than a traditional law firm, all while ensuring there’s no conflict with your other advisors.
Can Novitas handle patent filings and prosecution, or do I still need a patent attorney?
Yes, Novitas can prepare and prosecute patent applications on your behalf from start to finish. We are USPTO-registered patent practitioners (agents/attorneys), which means we’re licensed to draft patent applications, file them with the USPTO, and correspond with patent examiners through to issuance. In other words, for patent work we can act just as a patent attorney would in securing your rights. That said, we’re happy to coordinate with your attorneys as needed; for example, if you have a general counsel or need legal services beyond patents (like contracts or litigation), we’ll integrate into that team. Our goal is to make the patent process seamless for you: we handle the complex patent paperwork and strategy, so you don’t necessarily need a separate law firm for patent prosecution. Clients often find this one-stop approach both convenient and cost-efficient, while still having the option to involve their attorneys for broader legal matters when necessary.