Trademark & IP Lawyers in Austin

Filing a trademark, defending a brand, or protecting source code? The 7 Austin firms below cover USPTO trademark prosecution, software and hardware patent work, copyright, and trade-secret enforcement — including the IP-heavy Austin tech corridor's most demanding cases.

Vetted Firms

Both Sides

Draft + Defend

Free

Initial Consult

Updated 2026-05-10

When an Austin business needs an IP lawyer

Austin has one of the densest concentrations of software, semiconductor, and consumer-products IP in the country — Dell, Tesla, Apple, IBM, Oracle, and the venture-backed startup community all generate constant trademark, patent, copyright, and trade-secret work. The Western District of Texas — particularly the Waco division under Judge Albright — is one of the top patent-litigation venues in the U.S., so Austin patent counsel often handle WD Tex. patent infringement defense and offense.

Four buckets of work. Trademark prosecution (USPTO filings, brand portfolios, anti-counterfeiting) — Pirkey Barber and Mohr IP are pure-play trademark boutiques; Lloyd & Mousilli is the startup-friendly option. Patent prosecution (software, hardware, semiconductor) — Haynes and Boone and Fish & Richardson dominate; Lloyd & Mousilli and Mohr IP handle smaller filings. IP litigation (especially WD Tex. patent cases) — McKool Smith and Fish & Richardson are top-tier; Skelton & Woody handles smaller infringement cases. IP transactions and licensing — Haynes and Boone is the typical choice for technology transactions.

Texas trade-secret law (Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 134A) is heavily used in Austin tech employee mobility disputes. Combined with broader Texas non-compete enforcement than most states, trade-secret claims here are an effective tool to protect customer lists, source code, and process know-how. A typical TRO motion against a departing engineer is the first call to an Austin IP lawyer.

Firms in Austin that handle trademark & ip

Haynes and Boone, LLP

📍 Austin, TXFounded 1970BigLaw — national

Practice focus: Trademark portfolios, patent prosecution and litigation, copyright, trade secrets, IP-heavy M&A. Texas-founded AmLaw 100 firm; large Austin IP team serving tech, energy, and life-sciences clients.

Hourly $625–$1,250Full IP stack

Lloyd & Mousilli

📍 Austin, TXFounded 2014Boutique IP + tech firm

Practice focus: Trademark prosecution and enforcement, copyright, technology transactions, startup IP. Austin boutique focused on IP and technology, from solo founders to Fortune 500.

Flat / hourly hybridStartup + Fortune 500

Mohr IP Law Solutions

📍 Austin, TXFounded 2011Boutique IP firm

Practice focus: Patents, trademarks, copyrights. Austin firm with USPTO-registered patent attorneys including PhDs; affordable filings for individuals and small businesses.

Flat trademark $750–$1,800Patent + trademark

Skelton & Woody PLLC

📍 Austin, TXFounded 1994Boutique IP litigation

Practice focus: Patent, trademark, service-mark, and copyright infringement litigation. Austin firm representing both plaintiffs and defendants in IP disputes.

Hourly $425–$700IP litigation

Fish & Richardson P.C.

📍 Austin, TXFounded 1878BigLaw — national IP

Practice focus: Patent prosecution and litigation, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, ITC investigations. National IP firm with major Austin presence; counsel for many of the largest tech and life-sciences IP portfolios.

Hourly $700–$1,400Top-tier patent litigation

McKool Smith P.C.

📍 Austin, TXFounded 1991Trial-focused litigation

Practice focus: Patent infringement trials, trade-secret litigation, IP licensing disputes. Texas-headquartered firm with a national reputation for high-stakes IP trials.

Hourly $675–$1,300High-stakes IP trials

Pirkey Barber PLLC

📍 Austin, TXFounded 2003Boutique trademark firm

Practice focus: Trademark prosecution, brand protection, anti-counterfeiting, trademark litigation, opposition and cancellation proceedings. Austin trademark boutique; one of the largest pure-trademark practices in the country.

Hourly $475–$825Pure-trademark boutique

What this typically costs in Austin

Ranges from real Austin firms, current to 2026. Government and filing fees billed separately and pass through at cost.

Trademark search + filing (1 class)

$1,000 – $2,500

Knockout search, clearance, USPTO filing. $350/class government fee billed separately.

Trademark filing additional class

$300 – $750

Per additional class plus $350 USPTO fee.

Office Action response

$500 – $2,500

Procedural or substantive 2(d) refusal response.

TTAB opposition / cancellation

$15,000 – $75,000+

Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceeding. Cost scales with discovery.

Patent prosecution (software / utility)

$9,000 – $28,000

Through allowance. Volume of Office Actions drives cost.

$275 – $700

Single-work or group. $65–$125 government fee billed separately.

IP litigation (defense, through SJ)

$200,000 – $1.5M+

WD Tex. patent infringement cases routinely run $1M+ through Markman.

Trade-secret TRO + injunction

$40,000 – $200,000+

Emergency motion plus preliminary-injunction hearing, often within 14 days.

Typical turnaround in Austin

From the day you sign an engagement letter to the day you have something in hand, here is what the calendar usually looks like in Austin.

Day 1–5Conflicts check, engagement letter, intake. Knockout search if trademark.

Days 5–14Clearance opinion or invention disclosure. Filing strategy.

Days 10–30USPTO filing. Filing receipt within ~1 week.

Months 3–12USPTO examination. Office Action response if needed. Trademarks register in 12–18 months; patents 24–36 months.

Trade-secret mattersTRO within days. Preliminary injunction in 2–4 weeks. WD Tex. trial typically 14–18 months from filing.

OngoingTrademark renewals at 6, 10, and every 10 years. Patent maintenance at 3.5, 7.5, 11.5 years.

Talk to a Austin trademark & ip lawyer — free.

Tell us what's going on. We route a confidential request to the best-fit Austin firm in our directory. No high-pressure sales calls.

Trademark & IP in Austin — FAQ

How much does a trademark cost in Austin?

Attorney fee runs $1,000–$2,500 for a single-class application with knockout search. USPTO fee is $350 per class. Additional classes add $300–$750 in attorney fee plus $350 government. Total all-in for a one-class filing is usually $1,500–$3,000.

Why is the Western District of Texas so important for patent cases?

The WD Tex. — particularly the Waco division — became the top U.S. patent-infringement venue under Judge Albright. Speed to trial (~18 months), plaintiff-friendly local rules, and active case management drive forum selection. Even non-Austin Texas patent defendants often end up defending in WD Tex.

Can I use a Texas trade-secret claim instead of a non-compete?

Often yes, and many Austin lawyers prefer it. The Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (TUTSA) provides injunctive relief, damages, and attorney fees for misappropriation of identified trade secrets. It does not depend on non-compete enforcement — but requires you to identify trade secrets with particularity and prove reasonable secrecy measures.

How long does a trademark take to register?

12–18 months from filing if the application is straightforward. Office Actions add 3–6 months each. Opposition periods add 30 days plus extensions. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings can take 18–36 months.

Do I need a patent attorney or can a regular IP lawyer file my patent?

Patent prosecution before the USPTO requires registration as a Patent Attorney or Patent Agent — registered patent practitioners with a science or engineering background and a passing grade on the patent bar. Most large Austin IP firms have multiple registered patent attorneys. Trademark and copyright work do not require this special bar.

What is a TTAB opposition?

A Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceeding where one party challenges another's trademark application or registration. Common when a similar mark is published for opposition. Discovery, depositions, and trial briefs are all on paper — there is no live hearing in most cases.

How quickly can I get a TRO against a departing employee?

In Travis County and WD Tex., a Texas TUTSA TRO can be heard within 24–72 hours if you have clear evidence. Preliminary-injunction hearings follow within 14 days. The first hearing typically forces the employee to return data and stop using it pending trial.