In response to the America Invents Act, the USPTO established pro bono programs nationwide to assist low-income inventors with patent prosecution. In this effort, the Colorado Bar Association Intellectual Property Section and Mi Casa Resource Center®, in partnership with the USPTO, launched the Pro Bono Patent Initiative, also known as the Patent Program.

The Patent Program is designed to connect low-income inventors with patent attorneys and agents who provide pro bono legal services for patent application preparation and prosecution.

The program began in Colorado in 2012 and expanded to New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming in May 2015. Since August 1, 2016, it has also been available to inventors in Montana. Since its inception, the program has supported over 400 inventors. Notably, the first patent issued to a ProBoPat participant was granted in July 2015, and by September 2020, 65 patents had been awarded to inventors through the program.

You are donating your time, as well as the time of any paralegals or staff who assist with the inventor. The inventor is responsible for all filing fees.

Attorneys in Colorado and/or Utah participating in pro bono representation may request Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE) credits for billable- equivalent hours.

Colorado attorney’s may request one (1) general Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE) credits for every five (5) billable- equivalent hours. For mentoring a law student in a pro bono legal matter, you may request three (3) credits for a completed matter. Please complete part I, of the Colorado Supreme Court – F8, by clicking HERE  , and email to Randy Sasaki at: rsasaki@micasaresouncecenter.org. The program administrator will complete part II of the form, and send the application directly to the Office of Continuing Legal and Judicial Education at the State of Colorado Supreme Court.

Utah attorneys can obtain up to 2 CLE credits per reporting cycle (1 credit for every 5 hours billed) for pro bono services referred from ProBoPat. The website for reporting pro bono hours for Utah CLE credits can be found HERE . Please select “Mi Casa, Pro Bono Pat” as the Sponsoring Entity.

To qualify for the program, applicants must be individual residents of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming with an annual income at or below three times the federal poverty guidelines, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Once an inventor meets these qualifications and is accepted into the program, the ProBoPat program administrator facilitates their pairing with a patent attorney or agent.

Currently, the Patent Program has a waitlist of over 20 inventors, with a typical wait time of four to six months for matching with a patent practitioner. To address this demand, the program is actively seeking attorneys and patent agents to volunteer. To qualify as a volunteer, you must be in good standing with the USPTO and hold malpractice insurance.

You might be thinking that while this sounds great in theory, you’re busy, and many firms don’t have pro bono requirements. Unlike litigators, patent practitioners might not usually handle pro bono work, and with client billing being a priority, you might wonder why you should offer your expertise for free.

The answer is that there are inventors who need your knowledge and support, and contributing to this cause can be highly rewarding.

Volunteering with the Patent Program not only helps these inventors but also provides opportunities for you and your colleagues to mentor junior staff and gain valuable experience in areas like patent searching—skills that are often outsourced for paying clients. The Patent Program also simplifies the process by pre-screening applicants and verifying their income, reducing your administrative burden.

Additionally, engaging in pro bono work can enhance your firm’s marketing, networking, and community involvement. It’s a valuable and fulfilling contribution that benefits both you and the community.