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Small Entity:
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Small entities receive a 50% reduction in certain fees:
- The owner or officer of an application may sign a statement for this, the attorney may not.
Those who may qualify for small entity status include:
- Independent inventors (with no assignment).
- Small businesses (with less than 500 employees).
- Nonprofit organizations.
To request a refund based on a change in small entity status, a petition must be filed under 37 C.F.R. 1.28(a)(b) within 3 months of the accidental extra payment.
If an assignment is made after the application is filed, the inventor will not have to retroactively pay a large entity filing fee, however, future payments are calculated under the new status.
