Patent Fees Increase January 16, 2018

By: Katie Bates

On November 14, 2017, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a Final Rule (here) setting or adjusting 202 different fees for patent filings. The changes, which take effect January 16, 2018, include replacement of existing fees and the addition of 42 new fees.

Most existing fees increase around 10%, but others increase 50% or more. Among the largest increases are fees associated with patent trials and appeals, including a whopping 72% increase in the Inter Partes Review Request Fee (from $9,000 to $15,500).

The fees changes affect all entities – large, small, and micro. Small entities retain a 50% discount, and micro entities retain a 75% discount, but small- and micro-entity discounts are applied anew to some fees (e.g., a Petition to Convert an International Design Application to a Design Application Under 35 U.S.C Chapter 16).

A full summary of the current and new fees is available here.

If you are curious, the USPTO describes reasons for each fee change here.