If you’re seeking free patent filing assistance in Louisiana, there are a few different options you can consider. Here’s a closer look at what’s available, how it works, and who to contact. You’ll also find information on the requirements and costs for each. Ultimately, this is an important decision, and you should do as much research as you can to get the best service possible.
Experts
If you want to patent your invention in Louisiana, you’re in luck: the state has several expert patent attorneys. These Louisiana patent attorneys have extensive experience representing individuals and businesses from all over the country. They handle patent applications relating to almost every sector of technology. While many Louisiana attorneys can help you with the entire patent application process, some specialize in a single area.
The USPTO’s Texas Regional Office
The USPTO’s Texas Regional Office (TXRO) is located in the Terminal Annex Federal Building of downtown Dallas. An extension of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters, we serve the Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas regions. Opened in 2015, our goal is to promote innovation and stimulate the economy by connecting inventors and entrepreneurs to government resources, supporting students and teachers through our STEM education programs, gathering feedback from regional stakeholders, and recruiting diverse talent from the region. Browse the content below to learn more about what the TXRO can do for you.
Patent pro bono program
Louisiana Invents assists Louisianans, small businesses, and grassroots nonprofits in filing their first patent application. This is done by matching you up with registered attorneys and agents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The Patent pro bono program is available to independent inventors, small businesses.To be eligible for the prize, you must:
- Be a Louisiana resident or business.
- You must meet the following income requirements.
- No obligation to assign an invention.
- Have you performed a search for prior art?
- You must file a provisional application at least 120 days prior to the expiration of this provisional application.
- You must have filed at least three non-provisional patent applications.
- You must be able to pay the USPTO’s fees associated with your patent application. Click on this link to see an example.
- The Ella Project will match you with an attorney after you pay the application fee.
law school clinics
Over 60 law school clinics participate in the Law School Clinic Certification Program, which provides free legal services to members of the public including inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. The participating law school clinics offer patent and/or trademark legal services to members of the general public who have been accepted as clients of a clinic. Each participating law school has its own requirements and will accept new clients at their discretion.
Louisiana inventors and entrepreneurs can obtain free legal help for both patent and trademark matters by contacting:
- Southern University Law Center (patents and trademarks): sulctechclinic@gmail.com
- Tulane University Law School (patents and trademarks): TLSIPLab@tulane.edu
- South Texas College Of Law Houston (patents): patent@stcl.edu or (trademarks): trademark@stcl.edu
Patent and Trademark Resource Center
Certain libraries throughout the United States are designated as Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), which provide resources and trained staff to help customers use and understand USPTO information and filing systems. Patenting an invention and trademarking a product name can be challenging. PTRC library staff are information experts trained on how to use search tools to access patent and trademark information.
They provide the human touch that no webpage or legal book can provide in helping inventors and small businesses find the information they need to protect their intellectual property. There are various locations that offer free patent filing assistance in Louisiana, including the State Library of Louisiana, LSU Library, and the University of Louisiana System.
These locations are certified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to provide assistance to Louisiana residents in the process of filing a patent. During this time, they can answer general questions and direct patrons to legal assistance if necessary. However, PTRC representatives are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice.
Louisiana is served by the following PTRCs:
Troy H. Middleton Library, LSU – Baton Rouge
Programs
If you’re thinking of starting a business but don’t have the funds to hire an attorney, there are several ways to get free patent filing assistance in Louisiana. One option is to attend a Louisiana Entrepreneurship Clinic workshop. These workshops offer free patent and trademark filing assistance to local inventors and businesses. Attending one of these programs can save you up to $10,000 in attorney fees. However, you’ll still have to pay for the application fees. The average cost of a patent filing in Louisiana is $700.
Tulane University’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic is another option. While the Tulane University law clinic does not specialize in patent or trademark applications, the university’s Law Clinic is certified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The law clinic’s students are qualified to file patent and trademark applications, which is invaluable for small businesses.
Another option is to seek legal help from the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Pro Bono program. This program matches volunteer patent professionals with under-resourced small businesses or inventors. The eligibility requirements for this program vary by state, but generally a person’s gross household income should be below three times the federal poverty level. There are also several regional programs, each with different eligibility requirements.
Free patent filing assistance is available in Louisiana through the Louisiana Entrepreneurship Clinic, which serves clients who cannot afford legal representation. By using this service, clients can save up to $10,000 in attorney fees. The cost of filing a patent or trademark application is between $700 and $1,000. The costs of responding to a patent application rejection vary, depending on the circumstance, but they will typically be in the range of $3,500 to $4,500. Most applicants will receive one or more rejections before the Patent Office approves their application.
If the invention is simple, it will likely cost between $1,250 and $1,500. If the invention is more complex, however, the costs will go up considerably. For example, a simple software invention may cost as much as $2,500, while a more complex invention may cost up to $7,500. The cost will also increase if professional drawings are required.
Accelerators & Incubators
The Idea Village
The Idea Village is an accelerator program that supports regional startups and helps them build exceptional and innovative businesses. This program assists post-idea-stage companies and offers them a highly scalable, technology-enabled business model. They host two programs, VillageX and EnergyX, and provide participants with mentorship, resources, tools, education, and networking opportunities with experts.
Alchemist Accelerator
The Alchemist Accelerator program is a well-known accelerator program in California. Alchemist Accelerator, founded in 2012 has worked with more than 500 startups. Alchemist Accelerator has no industry restrictions and is open to all technical founders, regardless of their industry, location or business model. Alchemist Accelerator’s portfolio includes notable companies such as NFTpay Outwork and Cattle Scan.
500 Global
The Global Flagship Accelerator Program provides resources and support to startups in the early stages of development around the globe. 500 Global is a venture capital firm with a long history of providing valuable resources and support to startups all over the world. The accelerator program helps startups to accelerate their growth, and get their products on the market faster. The program offers intensive mentoring and support as well as funding opportunities, a network with investors and industry experts and access to funding. The program lasts four months and includes activities like workshops, pitching sessions, and individual mentoring.
IndieBio
IndieBio aims to promote startups that solve engineering challenges using biology. IndieBio, a VC firm founded in 2014, has invested in 425 companies that have created more than $9 billion of value.IndieBio works with biotech startups. IndieBio’s portfolio includes Upside Foods Carbix and Bucha Bio.
Y Combinator
Y Combinator, a well-known California startup acceleration program that invests in startups at an early stage across a wide range of industries. Y Combinator offers $500,000 each year to a number of startups. It also provides a variety of educational activities to help startup founders.Since 2005, Y Combinator funded more than 3,500 companies with a combined valuation of over $1 trillion. Y Combinator’s portfolio includes notable companies like Stripe, Instacart and Gusto.
Village Global
Village Global provides access to a network of successful startup founders. This includes founders like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.Village Global’s portfolio of companies has raised a total of more than $5 billion, and that is without counting the funds Village Global provides directly. AirOps Brightside and Living Carbon are just a few of the companies that have been successful with Village Global’s help.
StartX (Stanford – StartX Fund)
StartX is a startup accelerator offered in partnership by the Stanford Graduate School of Education. This program is designed to help early-stage startups secure funding, find talent and get guidance from Stanford University Alumni Network.Since its founding in 2011, StartX is credited with investing in over 700 companies, whose current valuation totals more than $26 billion. StartX’s portfolio includes Alation, Kodiak and Bolt.
Illumina
Illumina Accelerator focuses on innovative genomics startups. The program offers seed funding and business advice to startups selected. They will also have access to Illumina sequencing system, reagents and lab space that is fully operational in the San Francisco Bay Area and Cambridge, UK.Illumina Accelerator, founded in 2014, has invested in 39 companies. These include companies like Encoded Therapeutics Mantra Bio and DermBiont.
OneValley
OneValley was founded in 2012. It is a startup acceleration program that offers seed and pre-seed financing, access to innovation centres, enterprise services and OneValley Passport. OneValley Passport allows founders to access an online innovation community, which is a great resource for mentoring and collaboration.OneValley accepts pre-seed and seed startups, as well as post-seed/series-A startups. OneValley’s portfolio includes companies like Hour Work, Poga and Zensors.
Draper Goren Holm
Draper-Goren Holm, a blockchain venture fund and studio that focuses on incubating and accelerating blockchain startups. Startup founders who are accepted into the program can expect to receive funding, hands-on assistance, and partner benefits, such as strategic business advice services and an introduction to Draper Venture Network.
Plug and Play Tech Centres
Plug-and-Play Tech Center offers startups from 20 different industries 60 different accelerator programs. There are programs for startups in advanced manufacturing, energy, fintech, and many other industries.
CITRIS Foundry
CITRIS Foundry, a startup incubation program provided by the University of California, focuses on deep tech startups. CITRIS Foundry offers funding and access to resources, labs and facilities of the University of California.
IdeaTree Inc.
ideaTree, a startup accelerator, focuses on supporting startups that are disruptive in the mobile or internet space. Startups in fintech, social, sports, AI and cloud data, blockchains, cryptos, and travel are included.
Founder Institute
Founder Institute works with startups from seed to pre-seed in a wide range of industries. Startup founders who are accepted into this program have access to a variety of investors and Founder Institute’s Virtual Advisory Program. They also receive over $2 million worth of partner discounts, including Dell, AWS Google and Stripe.Since 2009, Founder Institute helped startups raise over $1.75 billion. Founder Institute’s portfolio includes Peerby Udemy and Lily AI.
https://www.ycombinator.com/documents/
https://techcrunch.com/
https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/startup-resources
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/fund-your-business
https://hbr.org/1998/11/how-venture-capital-works
http://patentpc.com/
http://uspto.gov/
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