LegalZoom is to offer patent filing – using its own ALSP law firm based in Arizona, a liberalised local market. ‘Instead of charging $5,500+’, they will offer a ‘self-guided patent package for just $299’ and also a ‘premium attorney-assisted service starting at $999’. Either way, loads cheaper!
They already do Trademark registration, but this looks to be the kind of move that could actually impact a lot of IP lawyers, given that patent filing is a major slice of the work they handle.
It won’t be an AI project, it appears, and they said that the ‘attorney-assisted provisional patent application services, are designed to help businesses and inventors protect their innovations, secure funding, and drive growth’. So, more of an ALSP project for now. But, that could change.
And of course, as with all of what LegalZoom, RocketLawyer, and others offer, this is designed to be ‘faster, simpler, and more affordable’ than traditional methods.
If LegalZoom were a tiny startup, then perhaps this would make less impact, but it’s a well-known and trusted brand in the US and plenty of people already rely upon it for a range of ‘Main Street’ and SMB-scale commercial needs.
Nicole Miller, Chief Legal Officer at LegalZoom, commented: ‘Combining innovative technology with attorney expertise, LegalZoom is committed to transforming how people navigate the legal system. We aim to make it as easy and affordable for inventors and businesses to take the critical step of protecting their intellectual property, with the guidance of LZ Legal Services’ experienced lawyers at their side.’
The new provisional patent application filing services are backed by USPTO-registered patent attorneys and agents, they underlined.
Is this a big deal? It would be even better if they were able to rely on AI tools to help do this, but perhaps that will come in the future once the project has bedded down. Either way, many patent filings come from small businesses (including tech startups at an early stage), or even lone inventors – and LegalZoom is the first place many such customers of that scale might look to for legal help. In which case, this could indeed move that part of the IP market…if it catches on.
Moreover, because this is operated out of the Arizona law firm of the group, ‘LZ Legal Services’, and that State is open to ALSPs, then there is little the incumbent IP attorneys in other parts of the US can do about it.
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