The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was created to make it possible for people to get a patent on their own without the assistance of a lawyer. You may draught your own patent, submit it, and pay the filing costs.

Is this process free? No. You will always be required to pay filing costs to have your patent evaluated and issue fees after it has been approved.

 The cost of filing it on your own 

Whether you are a micro or small entity, the fees range from $430 to $860. Even though self-filing is not free, you will still save money on your patent.

 Still too costly? Make Your Own Provisional Patent Application? 

You can submit a so-called provisional patent application if $430 to $860 is still too pricey. A provisional patent is an application that entitles you to claim pending patent status for up to one year. After that time, you can choose whether to invest the higher sum in a complete patent application (non-provisional patent application), which will be reviewed and may result in an issued patent application.

Self-filing a provisional patent application can cost you between $70 and $140.

The disadvantage of a provisional patent application is that if you do not submit a non-provisional patent application by the end of the year, you will forfeit all patent rights to the innovation. One tactic used by startups on a tight budget is to apply for a provisional patent on their own for $70-$140, test the idea or product in the market over a year to determine its viability, and if it is, hire a patent attorney to create the non-provisional patent application.

 Fiverr & Other Affordable Choices 

The short solution is: to do it yourself.

Suppose you cannot do it yourself but cannot afford legal representation. In that case, you can use alternative low-cost services, like those offered by Fiverr, to have someone else draught your application (and sometimes file it for you even though that is illegal). Although it is a possibility, doing it yourself is usually preferable. The people advertising their services on these kinds of sites often don’t spend much time on the application preparation, perform a poorer job than you would, and give you the misleading impression that it was done well.

The better choice, if budgets permit, is to hire an patent attorney.

It is advised to engage an expert patent attorney to draft and submit your provisional or non-provisional patent application if funds permit. They can assist you in avoiding future problems and creating a more valued patent application.

 The Price of a Lawyer 

A provisional patent application typically costs between $1750 and $3,000 to prepare and file, whereas a non-provisional patent application might cost between $5750 and $10,000. The attorney’s time and expertise in filing a patent application that completely covers your innovation and lowers the possibility of rejection(s) during inspection make up the majority of what you are paying for.

Good luck on your intellectual journey, whichever choice you select!