Patent fee changes
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has made changes to the patent fee system, which take effect from 6 April 2010. The
changes are intended to enable the UK IPO to realign its processing costs with its fees. Fee reductions for handling matters
electronically are also increased, to encourage e-business for both environmental and efficiency reasons.
The main changes are:
- a 50% increase in the regular search fee, from £100 to £150
- an increase in the examination fee from £70 to £100
- a £20 fee reduction for e-filing the request for search or request for examination
- a new £50 fee for registering rights acquired in a patent or patent application
- a new fee of £350 for requesting that the UK IPO continues the examination of contested inter partes proceedings, once a counter-statement has been filed
- a new £150 fee for requesting the restoration of a right to claim priority for a PCT application filed at the UK IPO
- increases of £20 in the renewal fees for years 5 to 12, and more dramatic increases in the renewal fees for years 13 to 20,
with the 20th year renewal fee increasing the most, from £400 to £600.
It is worth noting that for renewal fees that have a due date before 6 April 2010 the old fee rate will apply, even if the renewal fee is paid late, within the grace period. However, for all other renewals paid from 6 April 2010 onwards, the new rates will apply.
Meanwhile, from 1 April 2010 new fees will apply at the European Patent Office (EPO). In this regard, most of the fees payable to the EPO will increase by about 5%. The new fee amounts will apply where the fee is paid on or after 1 April 2010.
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