http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2013/04/do-i-qualify-for-micro-entity-status-at-the-patent-office.html
I wish I had read this blog post a few months ago. I was unaware of such a thing as a micro-entity. When filing the provisional patent for Flowbit I has filed under a small entity. A small entity gets 50% reduction in fees and the micro-entity gets 75% reduction in fees. Since I was advised a few patent attorneys to file as a small entity I am sure there is a good reason I was not told to file as a micro-entity. In the grand scheme of things the extra 25% reduction of fees is not a make or break situation but I would like to find out the other benefits or drawbacks between entities. After my initial research it seems as if the only difference is the extra 25% discount. Hopefully the next provisional I file I will be able to get the full 75% discount as a micro-entity. Also, any fellow students of Patent Engineering looking to file any kind of patent make sure to look for the micro-entity box and check it off.
Cory,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for a great suggestion. wow, can't believe you have filed a patent.
that's very impressive !! Could you share it with us or give us any other advice?
Very interesting! From the article it seems that another main difference is the income of the entity filing the patent; above $150k you can no longer be considered micro (not sure what it is for small)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting article Cory. Like Yuliya thank you for sharing your piece of advice with us and I will definitely use it in the future. Please share it with us, I think it would really help us in class.
ReplyDeleteI love how they have added this new provision to the patent fee structure and this allowing start up companies to have an easier time to file patents just due to that lack of being capital intensive. Hope everything works out though!
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