The cost to file a Patent

To cost to apply for a UK patent is circa £350.00 (the approx. Intellectual Property Office fees) if you "do-it-yourself" or between £2000.00 to £6,000.00 (depending on its complexity) if you employ a patent agent / attorney.

Are they worth the money ?

The answer is YES and NO. It all depends on a number of factors, including :

The robustness and technical richness of the IP.
The foundations on which the IP is based, i.e. the credibility/viability/feasibility of the project.
You, your objective and resources.
The good will of the competition.

A poorly written patent, or one that is not technically rich and can easily be circumnavigated around, is worth as much as no patent at all.

The importance of patent agents / attorneys in filing a patent

There is no law that dictates you have to use a patent agent / attorney to draft, file and secure new technological rights with the Patent Office. Anyone can do it ! However just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Unless you have the necessary experience and training, you will simply not have the expertise to :

Assess the prior art.
Understand what can and cannot be done to circumnavigate around the prior art.
Compile the application that robustly protects the technology that prevents others from circumnavigating around the patent and gaining an advantage.
Respond and overcome any objections the Patent Office raises.

What if you cannot afford to appoint a patent agent / attorney

The honest answer is to think very carefully before proceeding.

The common reason why inventors apply for a patent is to gain a legal right to exclusively pursue, commercialise and monetise a new product invention idea. However intellectual property is just one step in the commercialisation process. Therefore, if the funds are not available to cover patent agent / attorney costs, how will product development, design, prototyping, testing, and marketing be funded ? The other mandatory elements required for the commercialisation process.