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Patent Pro Bono Program

The Patent Pro Bono Program is an opportunity for volunteer patent attorneys to provide pro bono legal services to low-wealth solo inventors, nonprofit organizations and small businesses by assisting them with their applications to the USPTO.

The North Carolina Bar Foundation has partnered with Georgia Patents, which accepts, assesses and processes client applications for North Carolina residents and provides referrals to the Patent Pro Bono Program for attorney pro bono case matching.

The Patent Pro Bono Program serves:

  • Solo inventors with a household income of less than 300% of the federal poverty guidelines that have not filed more than 4 patent applications;
  • Nonprofit organizations with 4 or fewer inventors who meet the solo inventor criteria with annual operating budgets of $175,000 or less per year; and
  • Small businesses/inventor groups with 4 or fewer inventors who meet the solo inventor criteria and have a business income of less than $150,000.

Read Pro Bono Spotlight: Calling All IP Attorney Volunteers to learn more about the impact that volunteering for this program has across the state.

Are you an inventor seeking the assistance of a patent practitioner on a pro bono basis? Apply to the Patent Pro Bono Program here and also check out The Inventor’s Patent Academy, a free e-learning course about the patenting process to help prepare you to apply for a patent of your own.