How Much Does Trademark Docketing Software Cost?
Alt Legal Team | April 26, 2024
This article was originally published on April 12, 2021. It was published with updates on April 26, 2024.
IP and Trademark Docketing Software Cost
IP docketing software is a powerful tool that helps attorneys stay on top of their deadlines, organize their trademark, patent, and other filings, and create reports for both internal and external stakeholders. Having an efficient docketing system helps IP professionals maximize profits by reducing the costs of missed deadlines and the time/costs of manual docketing. It is also important from an ethical perspective to understand technology and implement IP docketing software into your practice. Read more about IP docketing software and ethical considerations here.
Setting a budget for docketing and comparing options can be difficult, as each service provider has different pricing models. It’s important to ask questions to understand what’s included in cost estimates to ensure you are doing a like-for like comparison. Here is a helpful checklist that you can use when evaluating IP docketing software.
How is trademark docketing software priced?
The short answer: it’s complicated.
Most providers charge a base fee for the number of matters and then charge extra fees for additional users, modules, and special features. Some providers even complicate the base fee by charging for records, that is, each individual contact that you associate with a matter (e.g., foreign associates, owners, parent companies). To further complicate things, many providers charge different prices for internal versus external users and will charge different prices for users depending on whether they have edit- or read-only access to the docketing system.
Adding to the complexity, many providers price certain items quarterly and other items monthly, making it especially difficult to figure out the monthly cost of the docketing platform.
The following IP docketing software cost calculation includes various add-on features and shows just how complicated it can be to determine the actual monthly cost of docketing software:
(quarterly fee based on number of matters x 4)
+ (# of internal users with edit access) x (monthly cost x 12)
+ (# of internal users with read-only access) x (monthly cost x 12)
+ (# of external users with edit access) x (monthly cost x 12)
+ (# of external users with read-only access) x (monthly cost x 12)
+ 4 additional modules (quarterly cost x 4)
+ Migration cost
+ 8 hours of additional training: (hourly cost x 8)
+ Custom reporting features: (quarterly cost x 4)
+ Email capabilities: (quarterly cost x 4)
= TOTAL / 12
= Monthly cost of docketing software
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (we said it was complicated…)
How does Alt Legal’s pricing compare to its competitors?
Alt Legal’s fresh approach to subscription pricing fits with our overall mission, which is to make trademark professionals’ lives easier. We keep it simple: pricing is based solely on the number of docketed matters. This allows customers to grow and scale with us by their side. Customers with smaller portfolios can become part of the Alt Legal Community with pricing starting at $50/month for 50 matters. There are no additional fees. Your subscription includes:
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Access for an unlimited number of internal and/or external users
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Docketing for all available matter types (there are no additional modules to purchase)
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Unlimited training and technical support via phone, email, or live chat
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Free and painless data migration (we don’t charge you to become a customer)
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Priority access to all Alt Legal Webinars
When comparing our straightforward pricing with our competitors’ pricing, you can easily see how our competitors’ add-on charges quickly increase costs and complicate pricing calculations. As an example, let’s compare the cost of a docketing system for 500 matters, with 5 full-access users, plus three additional modules.
| Docketing Software Company | Cost for 500 trademarks | Number of full users included | Cost for 3 additional full-access users | Cost for 3 additional modules | Annual Docketing Fee |
| Competitor A | $500/quarter | 2 | $375/month | $600/month | $13,700 |
| Competitor B | $250/month | 2 | $150/month | $1,500/quarter | $8,300 |
| Alt Legal | $425/month (600 trademarks) | Unlimited | $0 – Unlimited user access | $0 – No additional modules to purchase | $5,100 |
What are the hidden costs of IP docketing software?
Once you’ve determined the annual cost of your software, you might be surprised to learn that you also need to pay significant fees to migrate your data and to set up training for you and your staff. Data migration can often cost thousands of dollars. For instance, one of our competitors charges a minimum of $25,000 to migrate portfolio data.
At Alt Legal, our base fee includes robust, fully-loaded software and everything you need to get started, so there are no hidden costs. Data migration and training are always free and customers have free and unlimited access to customer support via live chat, phone, or email. Our customers enjoy having access to US-based, real human support to answer their questions, no matter how small or how complex. Learn more about Alt Legal’s smooth, easy migration process here.
Below is sample pricing of competitors for data migration and training:
| Docketing Software Company | Migration Cost | Training Cost (2 hours) |
| Competitor A | $2.00-$4.00 per record | $430 |
| Competitor B | To be determined | $380 |
| Alt Legal | $0 | $0 |
How long are IP docketing software contracts?
Typically, IP docketing software is sold as an annual subscription. Some providers offer quarterly contracts. Additionally, many providers require long-term contracts with automatic renewal periods and year-over-year cost increases.
Alt Legal is different from other IP docketing software providers. Alt Legal provides flexible month-to-month service as well as a 30-day money back guarantee. If you commit to an annual contract, we are glad to provide a 10% discount.
Has this article been helpful to understanding IP docketing software costs?
IP docketing software pricing models can be confusing. If you have any questions about comparing your options, we are always happy to chat with our friends across the IP community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We will not pressure you to buy, but we will provide you with tips to navigate conversations with service providers to ensure that you have all the information you need to make the right choice. If you do decide to evaluate Alt Legal, we will of course be happy to welcome you to the Alt Legal Community!