Schwartz Law Firm, P.C. regularly represents business owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors in the preparation and filing of provisional patent applications.

Since June 8, 1995, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has offered inventors the option of filing a provisional application for patent as a means of obtaining an early effective filing date at a relatively low cost. This filing also permits the term “Patent Pending” to be applied in connection with the invention. Provisional applications are NOT examined on their merits, and will become abandoned by the operation of law 12 months from their filing date. Ultimately, if the applicant is to obtain patent protection, a formal utility application must be filed within the 12-month pendency of the provisional.

Schwartz Law Firm is based in Charlotte, North Carolina with clients throughout the United States and internationally. Its founder and owner, Jeff Schwartz, has prepared, filed, and prosecuted more than 500 patent applications in a broad range of technologies including Internet applications, computer software, medical devices and processes, mechanical devices, and innovative business methods. Jeff is a registered patent attorney, and has been selected by his peers as one of North Carolina's leading intellectual property lawyers, according to separate surveys taken by Law & Politics and Business North Carolina magazine.

For more information regarding provisional patent applications, please contact Schwartz Law Firm to schedule a consultation.