Complete Legal Arkansas Patents Forms For Free

Who can file for a patent? With the exception of officers and employees of the USPTO, anyone who invents or discovers something that qualifies for a patent may file for one.

The USPTO's Patent Pro Bono Program In 2011, the USPTO launched the Patent Pro Bono Program. The Patent Pro Bono Program allows inventors who meet certain qualifications to receive free legal assistance in preparing and filing a patent application. This program is currently accessible to inventors in all 50 states.

A patent attorney will usually charge between $8,000 and $10,000 for a patent application, but the cost can be higher. In most cases, you should budget between $15,000 and $20,000 to complete the patenting process for your invention. Previous: Why should you file a patent application? Next: Is your invention valuable?

The cheapest way to get "Patent Pending" status is to file a provisional patent application. All that is required is a detailed description of the invention, an informal drawing, and a synopsis of how you came up with the idea. For small entities, the application fee is $130 and for large companies it is $260.

The Patent Pro Bono Program attempts to match inventors with registered patent agents or patent attorneys. These practitioners volunteer their time without charging the inventor. However, the inventor still must pay all fees that are required by the USPTO; these cannot be paid by the practitioner.

Many inventors hire a patent attorney to help them navigate the application process, but this is not always necessary or worthwhile. Attorney fees tend to be very expensive, often costing more than the application fees. Some individuals and small businesses would prefer not to bear these extra costs.