Bay Area IP Group, llc Reviews 58

For my self experience Clients Mr.Juan Fernandez with this Firm attorney’s ! Mr. Ari Bentolila they’re one the best top lawyers service your can trusted.

RUN! This is a scam just like the others said.

Ariel claims to be an attorney when he is not. That's fraud. They took our money (as they seem to have done to many), then don't do the work or do poor work. You will never be able to speak with Ariel after you pay. His gatekeeper Abby (who possibly pretends to be Ariel) will be the only one you can speak to and she is nasty.

Report them to USPTO and DOJ. & of us have done so. The more filed, the more DOJ will consider criminal action.

Sue them in small claims. You do not have to go to arbitration.

Address to serve them:
100 Pine Street, Ste. 1250
San Francisco, CA 94111

RUN!

UPDATE: They respond by calling me a liar which is exactly how they respond to the dozens of bad reviews alleging the exact same thing I experienced. The USPTO claim is open and legal action is forthcoming from the government. I filed suit for damages and will post screenshots of the judgment.

What a nightmare!!! “There is no attorney here”
They will take your money and will not do what they are paid to do! This is a warning to all that think about using Ari he is not an attorney !!!
This place will not perform the service !!! Check for more reviews to confirm my review !!!
Do not waste your hard earned money with this non attorney !!! He will use excuses for not performing the services paid for!!! Repeat he is not going to provide the services paid for!!!

!0 years ago I was on a tight deadline. I needed to file a non-provisional patent application. They helped me get it done despite the short deadline. Since then they have helped me get 3 patents with three certificates.

I have worked with Bay Area IP for three patent applications starting from 2018 to 2025. With Bay Area IP team's great support, two of my applications got patent granted by USPTO and the 3rd one has been recently allowed for patent issuance. Bay Area IP is a very professional legal team. Abby, Libby, Mai are always on top of my applications. In my 2nd application, attorney Ariel Bentolila had a meeting to discuss with USPTO examiner, and finally he turned the application into a successful patent as well. In my 3rd application, I decided to take care the last step by myself for saving the cost, I thought it was an easy step, then I made a mistake. Abby closely guided me to fix the issue, and now everything turns good. I really appreciate Bay Area IP team's support on all of my patent applications!

These people are the Best ! From day one their Team -Ariel, Abby, Libby, Mei and the rest have been extremely thorough, timely, and efficient. The quality of their work has resulted in the ”Allowance “ of 3 of my USPTO patents and a 4th pending with an accompanying “PCT “ world patent Allowance in progress. I’ve been working with these people since 2018. Thank you so much Ariel and team. Sincerely Brisbin Skiles, Skiles Solutions Inc.

Bay Area IP helped me to file my patent idea to USPTO. I really appreciate that they helped me from beginning to end the whole process and to get Notice of allowance .

I got my first patent through BAIP, in an exceptionally challenging and difficult case. I am a mathematician and foreign client of theirs. It is not an easy thing to be first in a world of billions of people to think of an idea. Most people cannot understand a brand new technology, or value it as I do, and I had been let down by a lot of people before. BAIP did the patent search for me at the beginning, then drafted the patent application and submitted it to USPTO. They have an outstanding team of people. The legal process took 3 years, and their lead attorney Mr Bentolila represented me at an examiner interview, speaking eloquently, he overcame the initial rejection. That is why BAIP is exceptional. I recommend Bay Area IP to help turn that idea into a patent, and for other Intellectual Property work.

I've been using Bay Area IP for many years, and they keep winning patents for me. Their work is very thorough, and they collaborate with me as necessary to ensure the submission has all the right details. When necessary, they will run an extra mile to explain any complex point to USPTO examiner.
Also, the pricing appears to be easier for an average person to manage: you only pay for one step at a time, rather than for the whole process at the start; and you know exactly what you are paying for.

I chose to work with Bay Area IP for my patent applications after finding them online and then having a consultation with Mr Ariel Bentolila. My conversation with Mr Bentolila alone was the deciding factor to go ahead and work with Bay Area IP (if you ever talk to him you will understand what I mean, he is full of knowledge).

Some of my experience with Bay Area IP:
* The prior art search conducted by Bay Area IP found 2 of the top prior art the examiners found in their searches (1xKorean examiner, 1xUSPTO examiner). In fact, the USPTO examiner used the prior art Bay Area IP provided as their main citation, so there were no surprises.
* PCT application was done very fast (even though it was a last-minute request by me) and was very affordable.
* US Patent Application received a "Notice of Allowance" after a couple of Office Actions, and approximately 3 years after filing. I am now using Bay Area IP to file additional continuation applications.

If I have any negative comments it would be that, at times, email responses were slow. However, I always followed up with phone calls and received the information/answer that I requested (in addition, the information provided by Bay Area IP on the patent application process can be quite comprehensive).

Overall, my experience was great and I am continuing to work with the team at Bay Area IP.

I contacted this company for converting an exisiting provisional patent to a utility patent. I was told it could be done in couple of weeks for $2300. I agreed and paid with a check. when ever I asked for an update I was told they can only give this work once the money reflected on their account my check not cleared yet. So I deposited on 3rd June directly to their account. They said the money is reflecting on their account. On 4th June when I requested for an update of the work I was told my signature is not done properly so the work is still in new case setup status.Potential client status Work can not begin unless this is rectified. I was disappointed realised I have been played well to get money from me not the work and cancelled my order in writing on 4th.June and requested to reimbursement of my money. I try to fallow up with numerous telephone calls to why my money is not returned? No one would accept my calls in their office. These countless calls would end up in some answering services promising me the calls woud be returned. No one ever returned any calls or my money. Then from nowhere on 17th June I got a email like Mafia style Not only I can not get my money back I owe them more money now sice I have cancelled this order which was on sale and gave me a bogus bill to pay. It is been 2months today I have not recieved my money back. My time and money is wasted with this Bay Area IP group. When I read many cosumer comments about this group on many sites It looks like I am not the only one victim with such experiences. I will not recommend Bay area IP to anyone based on my experience.

I missed a lot of red flags. Do your research before giving Bay Area IP any money.
Go to USPTO and search for practitioners. Search "Ari S. Tolila", the principal at Bay Area IP. No results. Search "Ariel Bentolila" or registration number "52614," the founder and principal at Bay Area IP. Mr. Bentolila is a patent AGENT, not a patent attorney. I am still unsure if "Ari S. Tolila" and "Ariel Bentolila" is one person or two different people. Maybe a name change, but why? Now search for other "professionals" shown on Bay Area IP's website. "Zhang Lei Yan" no results. "William B." No last name provided on Bay Area IP website. "Stephen K." No last name provided on the Bay Area IP website. Why doesn't Bay Area IP show the last name of these "professionals" that work at their firm? In fact, any person I have spoke to or emailed at Bay Area IP has not given a last name. Why wouldn't they have their full name in their email signature?
My experience with Bay Area IP:
Absolutely the worst customer service. Bay Area IP promises a lot but doesn't deliver. They take way too long to get anything done and work eventually done is poor quality.
Bay Area IP will not answer emails. Standard response is your email got caught by SPAM(which I don't believe when I am responding to a Bay Area IP email), sent to wrong email address(emails can be forwarded if that is the case.) or just overlooked. I have to call them and maybe I will get a response. Usually takes a couple of calls. Any times frame or deadlines given were never met.
I purchased top level flat rate patent services. After spending thousands of dollars with Bay Area IP and over a year has passed, I received Office Action from USPTO. Keep in mind I paid for top level services. It states in summary:
New corrected drawings are required.
All claims are rejected.
Many errors in grammar. Change "comprise of" to "comprises of", "distant" to "distance", etc. If Bay Area IP can't get the basic grammar correct or take the time to use the correct grammar(which is critical when drafting a patent,) what are the chances of a good patent?
I brought these issues to Bay Area IP. Their response(they actually did respond to this email):
"You received top level service." "Bay Area's work was good." "USPTO accepted the drawings." The Office Action is very complex, but Mr. Bentolila(patent agent, not patent attorney) expects it will not be to hard to overcome, just time consuming."
So to proceed further, I have pay Bay Area IP thousands of dollars to correct their mistakes and for formal drawings. I believe along with other reviewers that work is done poorly so Bay Area IP can get paid additional money for Office Action Responses. I don't mind paying for an Office Action Response, but the mistakes made to this point by Bay Area IP are obvious even to me a lay person. Why pay them to rewrite something that should have been right in the first place?
My new attorney says I have a poorly written patent by Bay Area IP. I over payed for what I received from Bay Area IP. They also never provided formal drawings that will be accepted in a utility application.
Anyone reading this can decide for themselves if I received top level services.
My research shows these people are patent agents and para legals. I have not yet found a patent attorney practicing at Bay Area IP. Remember this when you see look at their pricing.
Anyone considering Bay Area IP, do your research, then research more. Read all the reviews. Ask them to provide their full names so you can research them. If you can at all, consult a local attorney. The consultation may even be free. Even if it costs a little money, it will be money well spent to get professional opinion before going down a long road with Bay Area IP. Show the local attorney Bay Area IP's website, their "professionals" page and ask them about their price structure. You may find local services comparable in price. Just make sure you are well informed before giving Bay Area IP any money.

Response to BayareaIP:
These mistakes were not "typos." There were at least nine grammar errors, using incorrect phrasing that are critical in patent applications. Things that shouldn't happen in a top level patent application.

You did no drafting or drawing work. You only added numbers to drawings and images I provided. I replied with the 5 drawings that I wanted formalized on two occasions. You chose to ignore.

There was plenty of communication, email, calls, dialog from me. I expressed my complaints. Your first response is how everything you done was top level. Your second response was, "However, this is the first time we’re hearing about any quality concerns from you." I then realized you either have a bad memory, don't care or worse. I don't want to do business with people that act that way. That was the last straw and why I went to another firm.

I chose to work with Bay area IP to get my patent because of their price structure, After three years I was able to get approval stage and thanks to Bay area IP for their diligence and hardwork, the attorneys were experienced and knowledgeable, Definately would recommend them to anyone who is looking to file for patent

Buyer beware these people are not patent attorneys. They are patent agents.

Bay Area IP has been instrumental in getting us our patent. Every time I need help, Abby clearly explains my options and helps in understanding the legal procedure.

Bayareaip is very professional and affordable.

I went to Bay Area after several searches in my area. I decided after a very unsatisfying experience with a widely advertised firm I came across Bay Area. The well advertised firm did a pathetic patent search and I thought I would give these guys. Try based on several reviews that were good. I am a first time inventor and they accommodated my inexperience and what amounted to be several design changes. After a couple of rounds of prosecution I was recently notified that I have been granted a design patent. I highly recommend Bay Area IP. If I ever have another idea I won’t hesitate to call on them again. Don Johnson

I worked with Bay Area IP about my patent on nanoscale devices. I did a thorough search on different firms before selecting Bay Area IP to make sure I am engaging with a firm with expertise in dealing with the intricate design and fabrication process I wanted to patent. My patent idea is based on microfabrication processes and results of my last 18 years of expertise in molecular electronics devices. Bay Area Ip had a very clear IDF(information disclosure form ) to understand the work scope and had very nominal charges to do the prior art search. They also offered a consultation with the principal patent Lawyer Mr. Ariel S. Bentolila. I had a ~ one-hour discussion about his views and expertise in the semiconductor device patenting field. After that interaction with Mr. Ariel S. Bentolila, I also talked with eight other patent lawyers/firms. I found him uniquely knowledgeable in dealing with my nanoscale device ideas. I'm incredibly pleased with the quality of the draft. They have prepared and addressed the patent examiner questions systematically and with great care. The USPTO finally accepts all the ~20 claims, and I am heading to get the full utility patent. I only had a small concern that occasionally, I had to follow up after communicating the USPTO correspondence to Bay Area IP for the action. However, talking to Ba Area IP staff has been a pleasing and excellent learning experience.

This firm performs a very thorough and successful work on patents. There are various levels of service according to your budget, and they let you pick and choose what you prefer for the submission or office action. Dedication to the clients and focus on details. Making every effort to achieve the client's success.

BayAreaIP has been a wonderful patent and IP services Law firm to work with. We have been approved in both the USPTO and the PCT department for a software utility patent. Their high value services got us to where we needed to go.