Changes

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) requires patent holders to pay filing, application, and maintenance fees. In order to encourage smaller firms to apply and hold patents, the USPTO provides for discounts on required fees to small and micro entities, as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations. Small or micro-entity status must be verified and asserted prior to paying reduced fees. Small entities receive a 50% reduction on fees and micro entities receive up to a 75% reduction on fees. <ref name="paymentoffees" /> Exact fee amounts can be found on the  The [http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/fees-and-payment/uspto-fee-schedule| USPTO site]provides an online fee schedule and includes a breakdown of fee types and fee amounts. In certain cases, small and micro entities receive equal discounts or no discount at all.