US Inventor

What US Inventor does

US Inventor is a 501(c)(4) non-profit advocacy organization founded on March 17, 2015 (with advocacy activity dating to October 2013) by inventor Paul Morinville. Headquartered organizationally in Clearwater, Florida with a Dallas-area mailing presence, it operates as the largest inventor-led non-profit in the United States, with a stated membership of 80,000–87,000. Its mission is to restore American patent rights and innovation protections by reversing the effects of eBay v. MercExchange (2006), the America Invents Act / PTAB (2011), and Alice v. CLS Bank (2014), and by supporting legislation such as RALIA (H.R. 5811) and the Balancing Incentives Act (H.R. 5819).

The organization does not develop technology products. Its core 'technology' is a NeonCRM-backed membership and advocacy platform combined with a content and media operation. Products and services include: (1) tiered membership (Free, Bronze at $10/month or $100/year, Gold pricing on request) granting access to forums, weekly Zoom calls, and newsletters; (2) a national advocacy program filing amicus briefs in the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit, submitting PTAB public comments, and issuing FOIA requests; (3) an annual conference series held at the USPTO Madison Building and the House of Representatives; (4) an Action Center that equips members to contact legislators and comment on USPTO rule changes; and (5) a media operation producing documentaries, podcasts, and inventor story content.

US Inventor's business model is a hybrid non-profit funding structure combining small-dollar individual donations ($50–$1,000+ tiers, with branded gift items at $100 and $250), tiered subscription membership fees, and conference sponsorship revenue from patent law firms and IP-tech vendors (SRIPLaw, Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, Greenberg Traurig, Masimo, DeepIP, IP Copilot, Tangibly, and others). It serves two primary customer segments: independent inventors and small-business/startup inventors, with legislators and policymakers as a secondary engagement target. As a 501(c)(4), contributions are generally not tax-deductible, which shapes a grassroots, long-tail revenue profile rather than an institutional philanthropy model.

Name

US Inventor

Legal name

US Inventor

Website

https://usinventor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

US Inventor is a 501(c)(4) non-profit advocacy organization that mobilizes 80,000–87,000 US inventors to restore patent rights through legislative advocacy, amicus briefs, annual conferences, and tiered membership. It serves independent inventors, small-business inventors, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Advocacy

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAMAK

IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Intellectual Property (IP) & Patent Services

SECONDARYBPAHAAAF

Intellectual Property (IP) Law

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

SECONDARYMPAJACAK

IP & Patent Information Publishing (Patent/Litigation Analytics, Prior Art)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Professional & Legal Publishing (Standards, Compliance, Reference)

Keywords

• Patent advocacy services
• Inventor rights
• Patent reform lobbying
• Intellectual property policy
• Legislative advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Organization generates revenue through tiered membership subscriptions at $0 (Free), $10/month (Bronze), and $100/year (Bronze annual), with Gold membership pricing available upon request.
2. Donations: US Inventor accepts tax-deductible donations (though as a 501(c)(4), contributions are generally not tax deductible as charitable donations). Donation tiers include $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000, and custom amounts. $100 donation receives a US Inventor mug; $250 donation receives mug and exclusive T-shirt.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

US Inventor is a 501(c)(4) non-profit advocacy organization that fights to restore the US patent system and inventor rights through legislative advocacy, amicus briefs, public comments, and FOIA requests. It provides a membership-based community for inventors and small businesses, hosts annual conferences, and produces educational content including newsletters, podcasts, and documentaries.

Product overview

US Inventor is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that serves as the largest inventor-led advocacy group in the United States. Rather than offering a software product, the organization provides a suite of advocacy and educational services including: promoting pro-inventor legislation (RALIA, BIA), filing amicus briefs in patent litigation, hosting an annual conference series, operating a membership network with weekly Zoom meetings, maintaining an action center for legislator outreach, and producing educational content through articles, videos, and podcasts. The organization also offers a membership program with tiered access levels (Free, Bronze, Gold) providing different benefits including forum access, newsletters, and exclusive resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• US Inventor Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Defeated the Innovation Act of 113th Congress (H.R. 3309)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SIM IPminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• CJSJ LawminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor and exhibitor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025; law firm specializing in patent litigation
• O'KeefeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• SaftiFirstminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• Alibaba InternationalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• Josh The Balloon Guy (JTBG)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor; inventor of Bunch O Balloons who has been featured in US Inventor advocacy efforts
• Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig PLLCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor; law firm supporting inventor rights
• SRIPLawminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor; intellectual property law firm
• Walzman Innovations LLCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• Greenberg Traurig (GT Law)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor; law firm with patent prosecution practice represented by Barry Schindler at 2025 conference
• PhilatronminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• Kopp DevelopmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• TervesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Conference sponsor for US Inventor 3rd Annual Conference 2025
• MasimominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2024Sponsor of 2024 Second Annual Conference; Joe Kiani, Masimo Founder, delivered opening keynote and received Beacon of Hope Award
• Friedman Suder and CookeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2024Conference sponsor for 2024 Second Annual Conference; law firm specializing in patent litigation
• ADASA (RFID Innovation)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2024Conference sponsor for 2024 Second Annual Conference
• Bartkowski PLLCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 September 2024Conference sponsor for 2024 Second Annual Conference
• SRIPLawminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference; managing partner Joel Rothman presented at conference
• MasimominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference
• Acacia Research GroupminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference
• Fabricant LLPminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference; IP law firm
• Dunlap Bennett & LudwigminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference
• PhilatronminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2023Sponsor of 2023 First Annual Conference

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT): Public interest patent organization that files amicus briefs and challenges bad patents. Comparable legal-advocacy infrastructure to US Inventor, though PUBPAT historically focuses on patent quality/abuse rather than inventor rights restoration.
• Innovation Alliance: Coalition advocating for strong patent rights, particularly against PTAB abuses. Shares US Inventor's pro-patent policy stance and files amicus briefs in major patent cases, making it a direct advocacy peer on the inventor side of the debate.
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA): National bar association for IP lawyers that engages in legislative advocacy, amicus briefs, and policy positions on patent reform. Overlaps directly with US Inventor's IP policy and advocacy mission, though AIPLA's membership is primarily attorneys rather than inventors.
• Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO): Trade association of IP owners that files amicus briefs and lobbies on patent legislation. Comparable in its legislative advocacy mission, though IPO represents corporate IP owners (often large companies) rather than independent inventors and small businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Major digital rights organization that frequently files amicus briefs and lobbies on patent policy. EFF occupies the opposing viewpoint on many patent issues (favoring narrower patents), making it a structural counterpart and policy-adversary peer.
• International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA): Coalition of trade associations representing copyright-based industries that engages in legislative advocacy and policy work. Operates in the broader IP advocacy space similar to US Inventor, though its copyright-industry orientation differs.

Emerging players

• Knowledge Ecology International (KEI): Non-profit that engages on IP policy including patent reform, particularly on access-to-medicines and software patent issues. KEI typically advocates from the opposite policy direction (favoring limitations on patent rights), but uses similar advocacy infrastructure (amicus, FOIA, public comments).
• Inventors' Digest / Inventors Network: Inventor-focused publication and community organization providing educational content and resources to independent inventors. Comparable audience (independent inventors, small business innovators) with smaller national footprint than US Inventor.

Regional players

• Tampa Bay Inventors Council: Local inventor advocacy group with which US Inventor President Randy Landreneau is affiliated. Serves a similar inventor-advocacy mission but at a regional rather than national scale, and predates US Inventor.

Others

• Acacia Research Group: Patent licensing and enforcement company that has been a conference sponsor of US Inventor. Related as an ecosystem participant in the patent enforcement space that US Inventor advocates for, though Acacia operates as a commercial entity rather than advocacy organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@USInventor
• Xx.com/usinventor
• Facebookfacebook.com/USInvent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about US Inventor