Pro Bono Legal Aid for Independent Inventors

Imagine if each registered patent attorney and patent agent provided pro bono services to independent inventors.  Who would administer legal aid to independent inventors?  Who would decide which independent inventors received help?  Who would pay the USPTO fees?  And, if a registered practitioner filed a patent application, would that practitioner be obligated to handle prosecution?

In November 2009 at the 14th Annual Independent Inventors Conference, USPTO Director David Kappos addressed independent inventors and expressed that the USPTO was exploring pro bono legal services for inventors.  Since November, we’ve heard very little follow up on the USPTO’s desire to foster a pro bono patent program.  However, I’ve noticed other changes that are making a significant impact for independent inventors.  One inventor had a nonprovisional patent application filed in July 2009.  It was not part of the pilot program nor did it have a petition to make special.  What the patent application had was an inventor who had a dream and a plan to deliver the dream to the public.  The inventor started to repeatedly call the USPTO and finally was able to get in touch with a SPE who was genuinely interested in the success of independent inventors.  The SPE talked with the Primary Examiner who then negotiated an amendment and sent out a Notice of Allowance before January 1, 2010.   Imagine the Patent Office propelling an independent inventor’s dream?!

Just like an invention, the pro bono patent legal services program needs to be nurtured and developed.  And like prototypes, there will be kinks to work out, clients that may not always be satisfied, and of course, funding challenges.  However, there will also be inventors who are empowered to start the innovation journey with patent protection.   So, here’s a toast to recognize new possibilities for independent inventors to protect their dreams and to stay tuned for more information about possibilities for pro bono patent legal services.

• Recent Blog Articles

  • Conference — Worldwide Patent Statistics for Forecasting Technology-Related Activities
  • October 27 & 28 – Free Inventors Conference Presented by USPTO
  • Native American Artists and Craftsman: GAO Discusses Violations and Lack of US Enforcement
  • Trademark Monitoring Scam: Don’t get dooped
  • Obama administration proposes stricter IP laws
  • Are you getting sued? What getting a Cease and Desist letter means for you.
  • What does ‘Use in Commerce’ mean in your USPTO trademark application?
  • FCC issues new Net Neutrality rules
  • USPTO Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program: Lay-A-Way Option Available to December 7, 2011
  • The Battle over Network Neutrality May Finally Be Hitting Your Monthly Bill as Comcast and Netflix Provider Spar
  • Facebook Continues its Litigation Trend – The Next Target: Lamebook
  • Calculating Damages for Copyright Infringement
  • Architectural Copyrights – When a building is more than the sum of its parts.
  • Rosetta Stone Gears up for a Battle Against Google and the Future of Adwords
  • New Rules Proposed on Gene Patenting
  • 4chan and the Internet Dispense Justice as They See Fit
  • A Thin Line Between Artistry and Architecture
  • Speech Crimes: How talking on the Internet can get you into trouble
  • Virginia Imagination Made Real EXPO for Innovators
  • Trademark Abbreviations & The Public Use Doctrine

Subscribe:

Subscribe to our blog

Archives

• October 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010
• June 2010
• May 2010
• April 2010
• March 2010
• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009