Pro Bono Patent Services for Cash-Strapped Inventors, Innovators
by February 16, 2015 1:14 pm 154 views
Beginning Feb. 20, financially-constrained inventors and small businesses in Arkansas will be able to receive pro bono legal services to help them navigate the process for obtaining patents and trademarks for their business ideas.
The Obama Administration recently expanded access to the patent pro bono program through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to all 50 states in order to provide critical services to under-resourced businesses and inventors.
St Louis-based GatewayVMS, an entrepreneur support organization, will administer the program by ensuring applicants are qualified, and then referring them to attorneys with relevant interests and expertise in Arkansas, Missouri Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
“Inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses are an important part of our national and local economies,” said Chris LeBeau, director of service delivery for GatewayVMS. “This program will expand access to services that help move entrepreneurs and small businesses forward.”
This coming Friday, inventors and small businesses in the five-state region can visit www.patentprobono.com to view guidelines, eligibility and apply for services.