IPFees - Intellectual Property Fee Calculator

Live Demo: https://ipfees.dataman.ro/

Overview

IPFees is a jurisdiction-agnostic intellectual property fee calculation system that automates complex legal fee structures with multi-currency support. The platform provides automated fee calculations across 118 global IP jurisdictions using a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) approach, enabling legal professionals to define and modify fee calculation rules without software development expertise.

Quick Start with Docker

Option 1: Clone from GitHub (Recommended)

The easiest way to get started:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vbocan/ipfees
cd ipfees/src

# Start all services
docker-compose up -d

That's it! The system includes sample data and will work immediately.

Option 2: Pull from Docker Hub

If you prefer to run without cloning the repository:

# Pull the images from Docker Hub
docker pull vbocan/ipfees:web-latest
docker pull vbocan/ipfees:api-latest

# Create a docker-compose.yml file (see example below)
# Then start the services
docker-compose up -d

Example docker-compose.yml:

version: "3.8"

services:
  mongodb:
    image: mongo:8.0
    container_name: ipfees-mongodb
    ports:
      - "27017:27017"
    volumes:
      - mongodb_data:/data/db
    environment:
      MONGO_INITDB_DATABASE: ipfees

  ipfees-web:
    image: vbocan/ipfees:web-latest
    container_name: ipfees-web
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    depends_on:
      - mongodb
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:8080
      - ConnectionStrings__MongoDB=mongodb://mongodb:27017/ipfees

  ipfees-api:
    image: vbocan/ipfees:api-latest
    container_name: ipfees-api
    ports:
      - "8090:8090"
    depends_on:
      - mongodb
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:8090
      - ConnectionStrings__MongoDB=mongodb://mongodb:27017/ipfees

volumes:
  mongodb_data:

Access the Application

• Web Application (local): http://localhost:8080
• API Documentation (local): http://localhost:8090/swagger
• MongoDB (local): localhost:27017

That's it! The system includes sample data and will work immediately. For production use, configure your exchange rate API key in the settings.

Running Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test

# Run specific test project
dotnet test IPFees.Core.Tests
dotnet test IPFees.Calculator.Tests

Technical Architecture

IPFees leverages a modular architecture designed specifically for the demands of global IP practice, addressing complex requirements of many distinct regulatory frameworks.

For a detailed technical architecture diagram, see architecture.md.

Technology Stack

• Backend: .NET 10.0, ASP.NET Core
• Frontend: Razor Pages, Bootstrap 5
• Database: MongoDB with GridFS
• Containerization: Docker & Docker Compose
• Background Services: .NET BackgroundService
• Expression Parsing: Custom DSL interpreter
• Testing: xUnit, Testcontainers

Key Features

• DSL-Based Fee Calculation: Define complex fee structures in human-readable format without hardcoding business logic
• Multi-Jurisdiction Support: Configurable architecture supporting USPTO, EPO, WIPO, and 118 national patent offices
• Real-Time Currency Management: Multi-currency precision with real-time conversion, historical rate tracking, and three-tier fallback system
• API-First Design: Comprehensive REST APIs for integration with IP management platforms
• Bulk Processing: Portfolio-level fee estimation for large IP holdings
• Extensible Architecture: Add new jurisdictions through configuration without code changes

Performance Metrics

• Calculation Latency: <500ms for complex multi-jurisdiction calculations
  • Typical 3-jurisdiction: 240-320ms (36-52% below target)
  • Core DSL engine: 23.5μs for complex fee structures
  • P95 latency: 420ms under normal load
• Multi-Currency Precision: 6-8 decimal places for high-value portfolios
• Currency Support: 150+ currencies with real-time conversion
• Concurrent Users: Scalable architecture supporting 25+ simultaneous users
• Extensibility: Add jurisdictions without code changes through configuration

Performance Validation: Comprehensive benchmarking completed using BenchmarkDotNet v0.14.0 with >90% confidence level. The validation includes statistical rigor (10 iterations, 99.9% confidence intervals), memory profiling, and comparative analysis showing 6-20× improvement over government calculators. See Performance Benchmark Report for detailed methodology, results, and statistical analysis.

Citation

If you use IPFees in your research, please cite:

@software{ipfees2025,
  title = {IPFees: Intellectual Property Fee Calculator},
  author = {Valer Bocan, PhD, CSSLP},
  year = {2025},
  version = {1.0.0},
  url = {https://github.com/vbocan/ipfees},
  license = {GPL-3.0}
}

See CITATION.cff for structured citation metadata.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss proposed modifications. See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details. This OSI-approved copyleft license ensures that derivative works remain free and open source, while permitting academic research, commercial use, and modification.

Documentation

• User Guide: See web application's built-in documentation at /about and /reference
• API Documentation: Interactive Swagger/OpenAPI documentation at /swagger
• Architecture: Detailed technical architecture in docs/architecture.md
• Developer Guide: Instructions for extending the system in docs/developer.md
• DSL Grammar: Fee calculation DSL specification at /grammar

Academic & Research Documentation

• Performance Benchmark Report: Comprehensive validation methodology and results in docs/performance_benchmark_report.md
• Literature Review: Academic survey of DSLs in legal domains in docs/literature-review.md
• Comparative Analysis: Detailed 90+ dimension comparison with alternatives in docs/comparison-table.md

Support & Contact

• Issues: Report bugs and request features via GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Community support via GitHub Discussions
• Documentation: Comprehensive documentation in the /docs folder
• Email: valer.bocan@upt.ro