The actual filing fees for a small/micro entity is pretty low. Most of the money you're spending is in legal fees. And if we deferred examination until the liti

The actual filing fees for a small/micro entity is pretty low. Most of the money you're spending is in legal fees. And if we deferred examination until the litigation stage, then yes, you'd save some money on actually prosecuting the patent application (arguing with the examiner, etc.)... but you NOT be saving any money on the up-front drafting costs. (Unless you just drafted the thing yourself, which is generally a very bad idea.) Back of the envelope numbers: you might save 50% of the current costs of obtaining a patent. It'd still be far from free.