Pro Bono Patent Program

Solo Inventors

• Total household income must be less than three times the federal poverty level.
• Must not be obligated to assign rights to the invention

Non-Profits With 501(c)(3) Status From the IRS

• Must have four or fewer inventors who are obligated to assign rights to the nonprofit
• Budget less than $1 million per year
• Not open to research institutions or institutions of higher learning
• Not obligated to assign rights to another entity

Small Businesses

• Must have four or fewer inventors who are obligated to assign rights to the business
• All inventors’ household incomes must be less than three times federal poverty level
• Total gross income of  less than $150,000 in preceding calendar year, and expected to remain less than $150,000 in current calendar year
• Not obligated to assign rights to another entity

All Applicants

• Must not have filed four or more patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Must demonstrate patent system knowledge by either having a provisional application already on file with the Patent and Trademark Office or completing an online course (Spanish version) and submitting a certificate of training.
• Be prepared, courteous, and respectful. Failing to do so will result in expulsion from the program and denial of future services.

Inventors remain responsible for:

• All fees owed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (which may be reduced up to 75% for “micro-entities” qualifying under this program).
• An administrative fee for attorney placement. We cannot guarantee each inventor will be placed with an attorney because firms take a limited number of pro bono cases. Additionally, placement with a volunteer patent agent/attorney remains within the sole discretion of the program administrator.
• A non-refundable intake application fee of $50 for a solo inventor, $100 for a nonprofit organization or $150 for a small business. This defrays SLU's administrative costs, but does not go to the attorney, patent agent or Patent and Trademark Office. This is not a guarantee of placement with an attorney, nor is it a guarantee of receiving a patent.

1. Create an account and complete our online application, which requires a credit card to pay processing fees: $50 for solo inventors, $100 for nonprofits and $150 for small businesses.
2. Case review. After SLU confirms your eligibility, Inventr will review your idea and  produce a patentability score.
3. Placement with patent attorney (NOT guaranteed).  Pro bono representation policies vary,  but it is generally anticipated that the firms and in-house counsel departments will not enter powers of attorney on behalf of clients and that the clients themselves would be responsible for completing the paperwork and paying filing fees.