LegalCORPS Inventor Assistance Program

About

Independent inventors fuel innovation that can inspire investment and create new businesses and jobs. However, the process of securing patent protection can pose a major hurdle for independent inventors as they try to turn an idea into a commercially viable product. The LegalCORPS Inventor Assistance Program allows inventors to overcome at least one of the financial roadblock to bring a new innovation to market. We provide free legal representation to qualifying low-income inventors in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin who are seeking to patent their inventions with the USPTO.  Please note that LegalCORPS does require payment of a $50 application fee and all fees payable to the USPTO are the responsibility of the inventor.  Once matched with an attorney, the attorney can advise the inventor on what fees and expenses will be incurred during the process of filing and prosecuting a patent application. Low-income inventors in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin can get free assistance with patent application and patent prosecution through the LegalCORPS’s Inventor Assistance Program. To be eligible, applicants must meet the the following guidelines for the Inventor Assistance Program: 1. total household income under 300 percent of the U. S. federal poverty level. 2. applicant (or one of the applicants if filing in a group) must currently reside or have a business in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, or Wisconsin.  3. the idea presented must be viable for patent.  To be patented an invention must be novel, non-obvious, and useful.  A patent cannot be obtained upon a mere idea or suggestion. 4. applicant may have a provisional patent on file with the USPTO; or if the inventor would like assistance with filing the provisional patent, we provide a form for invention detail, including all specifications, drawings or photos, and documented research on prior art. 5. applicant/inventor must show proof of successful completion of the USPTO online certificate training course.