UK Patent Fees To Increase
Patent fees are set to increase from 6 April 2018
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is introducing a number of changes to the UK patent fees. The changes will come into effect on 6 April 2018. They will increase:
- patent application fees – for both paper and electronic filing
- search and substantive examination fees
- patent renewal fees from year 12 onwards
The IPO will also introduce several new types of fees, including a 25 per cent surcharge – if you do not pay the application fee at the time of filing – as well as excess claims and pages fees.
The excess fees are based on the number of claims and pages in the patent application. You will incur these when you request a search or substantive examination if your application exceeds 25 claims and 35 pages. You may also incur a new grant fee if there is a further increase in excess claims or pages, after payment of the search or examination fee.
If you submit your patent application or search and examination requests through the IPO’s e-filing service, you will be eligible for a discount which will rise to £30 from 6 April.
For more information, see the IPO’s list of new fees and guidance for businesses.
Source: nibusinessinfo.co.uk
