“I sent the name through the form on a Sunday night. By Tuesday I had a written answer and a price, and I hadn’t ordered a single label yet.”
Priya R.Hot-sauce maker
Trademark and copyright lawyer, Tampa and online
Make your name legally yours
I’m Zuleika Montalvo. I clear, file and protect the names, logos and creative work of founders and creators, at a flat fee I quote before I start. If you’re near Tampa, we meet in my office. Everyone else meets me on video.
Sample matters
Names that cleared, and work that stayed theirs
How I report a result: the outcome in one word, the matter, and what happened.
Registered
Word mark, small-batch hot sauce
Searched first, filed in one class, and registered after one routine reply to the examining attorney.
Cleared
Name search, ceramics studio
The search found a live mark in the same field, so the founder changed the name before ordering packaging.
Withdrawn
Takedown claim, handmade shop
A marketplace claim against the seller’s listing was withdrawn after a written reply about what the registration covers.
$1,800
Photo use without a license
A photographer’s image ran on a brand’s site. It ended with a license fee and a credit line.
Gross, before my flat fee.
These are sample matters that show how results are reported; an owner replaces them with their own. Every matter is different, and past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome. Whether a trademark registers is decided by the USPTO, not by the firm.
Flat fees
Four jobs, each at a flat fee
I quote in writing before I start. Government fees are listed apart and paid at cost. If a job won’t fit a flat fee, I say so first.
Trademarks
Search the name, file it, and answer the examining attorney.
How trademarks goName check
Filing, priced per class
Copyrights
Register books, songs, photos, art, code and course videos.
How copyrights goRegistration, priced per work or set
Takedown notice
Patents
Provisional and design applications for things you make.
How patents goProvisional application
Design patent
Licensing
License your work out, or sign a deal that licenses in someone else’s.
How licensing goesLicense agreement
Assignment
Said after the filing
“One number for the whole filing, with the government’s fee on its own line. No meter running while I made up my mind.”
Marcus D.Indie game developer
“She explained copyright for my course videos without making me feel behind, and then she registered the whole set.”
Dana K.Course creator
Each client’s case is different, and these samples don’t promise a result. Names are shortened.
The firm
Who answers when you write
Three lawyers, each with a lane. Whoever your matter fits meets you first, and you always know who is doing the work.
Zuleika Montalvo
Founder, trademarks
Clears and files trademarks, and is the first call for most new clients.
Kasra Rostami
Patents
A registered patent attorney who files provisional and design applications.
Nneka Abara
Copyrights and licensing
Registers creative work and drafts the licenses that put it to use.
Before you pay anyone to file
Do I need a lawyer to register a trademark?
No. You can file one yourself. A lawyer earns the fee by checking the name before you commit, choosing the right class for what you sell, and answering the examining attorney when the office has questions.
What does a flat fee include?
Each price on the fees page lists what’s in it and what isn’t. I don’t bill by the hour for those jobs, and I tell you before I start if yours needs something extra.
What do the government’s fees add?
The USPTO and the Copyright Office set their own filing fees and change them from time to time. I quote the current amount in writing and pass it through at cost.
Can you promise my trademark will register?
No one can. The USPTO decides, and a name that looks fine can still be refused. What I can do is search first and tell you how risky the name looks before you pay to file it.
I live outside Florida. Can you still help?
Yes. Trademark and copyright filings are federal, and we work by video and email. If your matter turns on another state’s law, I tell you when you need a lawyer there.
What if my name is already taken?
Then I’ll tell you before you spend on a filing, and we look at a change, a different spelling, or a narrower claim. That’s what the name check is for.
Start with the name
Send me the name you want to own
Tell me what it is and what it’s for. I’ll reply with whether I’d file it, what it costs and how long the first step takes.
Please don’t send confidential details through this form. Tell me what you want to protect, and keep anything unfiled to yourself until we’ve agreed to work together.