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Inventor Assistance Program

The Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) – a WIPO initiative in cooperation with the World Economic Forum – is the first global program to match developing country inventors and small businesses with limited financial means with patent attorneys. These experts provide pro bono legal assistance to help inventors secure patent protection.

Participating countries – Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa.

Featured

Video: Interview with Mr. Ivan Rizo Tello, awarded inventor under the IAP.

Get involved

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(Illustrations: Getty Images/DrAfter123)

Apply – attorneys

Pro bono attorneys – Work with the IAP

Through the IAP, pro bono attorneys and patent specialists can provide a free kick-start to the use and development of the patent system in developing countries. Their work helps spur innovation at the grassroots level and also allows them to develop their professional skills in new, rewarding ways.

Patent attorneys and specialists from developing countries where the IAP is active can apply to the program to help under-resourced inventors in their country.

Patent attorneys and specialists in Europe, Japan, and the United States of America can also apply to the program to support inventors selected by the IAP with securing patent protection in those jurisdictions via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Before applying make sure you have a WIPO Account. Then access the IAP Online Platform and complete the online application form. We will get back to you about your acceptance into the Program.

For those in the US, please apply via the Federal Circuit Bar Association.

Please note that only attorneys who are licensed to practice by the industrial property office of the country concerned and who accept in writing the guiding principles PDF, Guiding Principles of the IAP are eligible to apply.

If you are from a jurisdiction other than the IAP participating countries, Europe, Japan or the U.S., we nevertheless encourage you to apply and we will let you know when the country in which you practice joins the IAP.

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Apply – inventors

Inventors – Benefit from IAP help

Inventors working in any technological field can benefit from expert support to help them use the patent system.

A patent allows inventors/companies to gain valuable exclusivity over a new product or process. In developing countries however, few local inventors venture into the world of patents and those who do so without legal support often fail at the first steps due to formal errors.

Individial inventors or small businesses based in a country participating in the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) can apply. To qualify for support, you must satisfy four main criteria (plus any specific national criteria):

  1. Basic knowledge of the patent system: Demonstrated by:
    • successfully completing the online IAP training module; or
    • presenting proof of a current patent application that has been filed at the patent office of an IAP participant country.
  2. Income level: Your income must be below the threshold determined by the country in question.
  3. Eligible invention: You must have an invention that qualifies for IAP. Decisions on the eligibility of inventions are taken by the IAP screening board of the country in question.
  4. Residence: You must be a resident in the country in which you make the request and that country must be a participant in the IAP.

Applying to the IAP is very easy:

  1. Apply
    File your application for assistance on the IAP Online Platform. Before applying make sure you have a WIPO Account.
  2. Be selected
    The National Screening Board will review your application to determine your eligibility.
  3. Be matched
    WIPO will match you with an expert that will guide you through the patent grant procedure.

For specifics on each country, please refer to the following information:

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Online course

Online self-check course for inventors

WIPO has developed a dedicated online course to help first-time inventors decide whether their invention fulfills patentability requirements. The course is free of charge and anyone who wishes can take it.

For inventors without a pending patent application, passing the online course is a prerequisite for working jointly with a pro bono patent attorney through the IAP.

Read our FAQs on the IAP for more information.

WIPO events

Videos

Video: Awards ceremony – Colombian Inventor of the Year (2017).
Video: Colombia awards its best inventors, supporting local creativity.
Video: IP experts talk about pro bono activities and the IAP.

Structure and governance

The IAP is composed of countries, sponsors, and pro bono patent attorneys. These three groups all constitute IAP members.

Guiding principles

All members must accept in writing the IAP guiding principles PDF, IAP Guiding principles

Steering Committee

The central governance body of the IAP is the Steering Committee, which provides overall strategic direction, guidance and support.

The Steering Committee is made up of representatives of all of the stakeholders involved in the IAP.

List of Steering Committee members PDF, List of Steering Committee members

WIPO

WIPO functions as a "clearing house" to coordinate and promote the IAP at the international level, including through the following activities:

  • Supporting member states with the implementation of the IAP
  • Managing the roster of pro-bono attorneys
  • Matchmaking pro-bono patent attorneys and specialists with selected inventors
  • Facilitating, together with the World Economic Forum, meetings of the Steering Committee

Sponsors

Corporations, law firms, associations of IP professionals, as well as other institutions working in the field of IP, are invited to join the IAP as sponsors.

In general sponsors contribute by promoting the IAP to their internal networks of preferred firms, and seek to recruit qualified counsel from these firms to serve as IAP pro bono patent attorneys. Sponsor contributions can also be determined on a case-by-case basis with the IAP Steering Committee.

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Reference

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