The European Patent Office has announced a series of fee increases from 1 April that are set to impact various stages of the patent application and maintenance process. These adjustments are part of the EPO’s regular review to ensure that the office remains financially self-sustaining, while also investing in improving its services and infrastructure.
The fee increases cover a wide range of services, including the cost of filing a patent application, search fees, examination fees, and renewal fees for maintaining a granted patent. The fee increase is about 5% in most cases. However, renewal fees for the third and fourth years will rise by 30%.
It will be possible to pay many of the fees at a lower rate if they are paid by 1 April. For example, it will be possible to enter the European regional phase from a PCT application before 1 April, even if the usual 31-month deadline expires after 1 April.
Similarly, renewal fees can be paid up to three months in advance. Thus, fees for renewals due up to the end of June can already be paid in March.
The EPO will also be introducing a new fee structure for small entities, including universities, non-governmental organisations, and natural persons. Full details are set out in this link.
The new fees can be found at this link.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
