USPTO announces final rule concerning small entity status exceptions

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USPTO announces final rule concerning small entity status exceptions

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a final rule to clarify and expand the exceptions that permit a party to qualify for small entity status when a use license in its invention is held by the federal government.

The rulemaking is designed to ensure that independent inventors, small business concerns, and nonprofit organizations obtain appropriately discounted fees when filing patent applications. This rulemaking is also designed to encourage collaboration with the federal government by expanding the opportunities to qualify for the small entity discount for inventions made during the course of federally-funded or federally-supported research.

Read the full text of the final rule in the Federal Register and on the Patent Related Notices page of the USPTO website.

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