What qualifies as a small entity for patent fee reduction?

A small entity for purposes of paying reduced patent fees is defined in 37 CFR 1.27(a) as:

• A person
• A small business concern
• A nonprofit organization

Each of these categories has specific criteria that must be met to qualify for small entity status. For example, a person must not have assigned, granted, conveyed, or licensed any rights in the invention to a non-small entity.

To learn more:

• small entity
• patent fees
• fee reduction
• patent application