Ellen Song
Founding partner, trademarks
Clears names before they're printed, files them, and answers the examiner when the USPTO pushes back.
IP law for founders and creators
Own what you make, on paper
A three-lawyer IP firm in Minneapolis. We search and file trademarks, register copyrights, draft patents and write licenses, with every fee quoted before we start.
- Flat fees, quoted in writing
- Government fees listed separately
Practices
Name it. Make it. Invent it. License it.
Start from where your business is. Each practice has a flat fee, and you'll see it before any work begins.
- Trademarks
Name it
Clear a name before you print it, file it with the USPTO, and answer what the examiner sends back. Each step has its own flat fee, plus government fees.
Trademarks and feesClearance searches
Filing in the classes you need
Office action responses
Oppositions and cease-and-desist letters
- Copyrights
Make it
Register your code, books, photos and designs, and get the work your contractors made assigned to you. Each registration has its own flat fee, plus the Copyright Office fee.
Copyrights and feesCopyright registration
Contractor and agency assignments
Takedown notices
- Patents
Invent it
Find out whether a patent is worth it, then file a provisional to hold your date while you build. A provisional has its own flat fee, plus USPTO fees.
Patents and feesPatentability opinions
Provisional applications
Utility and design applications
- Licensing
License it
Get paid for what you own: licenses, brand collaborations, and the IP terms inside investor and customer contracts. A license review has its own flat fee.
Licensing and feesLicense and royalty agreements
Brand collaboration contracts
IP clean-up before a raise
Matters
Recent outcomes
Sample matters, to show the kind of work and how it ends. Client names are left out.
Registered
Trademark, apparel brand
A wordmark and logo registered in two classes after one office action.
2025
Opposition withdrawn
Trademark, coffee roaster
A larger brand dropped its opposition once we showed earlier use of the name.
2024
Allowed
Utility patent, hardware startup
Claims on a battery mount allowed after an interview with the examiner.
2025
Taken down
Copyright, illustrator
Copies of her prints removed from three online marketplaces.
2024
Sample matters. Every matter is different, and past results don't guarantee a similar outcome.
Team
Three lawyers, one for each kind of IP
The lawyer you meet on the first call is the one who does the work and signs the filing.
Arash Karimi
Partner, patents
A mechanical engineer before law school. Drafts provisional and utility applications for hardware and software.
Ada Adeyemi
Associate, copyrights and licensing
Registers copyrights, writes contractor assignments and reads the licenses creators are asked to sign.
Resources
Notes for founders
Short, plain guides to the questions we hear on first calls.
TrademarksSearch the name before you print it
A business name, a domain and a trademark are three different things. Here's how to check a name before it goes on a label.
Ellen Song5 min read
CopyrightsWho owns the code your contractor wrote?
Paying for work doesn't make you its owner. What an assignment does, and when to get one signed.
Ada Adeyemi6 min read
Start with a trademark search
Tell us the name and what you sell under it. We'll reply with a flat-fee quote for the search and the filing.
Government filing fees are separate and listed in every quote.