Patent applications fees abolished

Citation

(1998), "Patent applications fees abolished", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1998.01850fab.015

Patent applications fees abolished

Patent applications fees abolished

Keyword: Patents

Small firms and private individuals will benefit most from the abolition by United Kingdom Patent Office of the application fee for patents from 1 October 1998. The Office will be the first in the industrialised world not to charge a patent application fee.

Abolition of the filing fee forms part of a 20 per cent cut in Patent Office fees which came into effect on 1 October. Other reductions include a cut in the trade mark application fee from £225 to £200, a cut in trade mark registration renewal from £250 to £200 and cuts in patent renewal fees by an average of 18 per cent.

The cuts will assist entry into the systems of patents, trade marks and registered designs and encourage their use by small firms and private individuals. The greatest savings to be made will be in patent renewals in the earlier years, when companies are frequently still in the phase of product development and have yet to make a return on their investment. Savings to industry will equal £12 million, or 20 per cent of the Patent Office's fee income.

Welcoming the fee reductions, Patent Office chief executive Paul Hartnack said:

"The reductions in Patent Office fees make a significant contribution to the competitiveness of British industry, particularly among the small firms which are the source of innovation and creativity in Britain.

"The fee reductions have been made possible by the continuous and successful efforts of management and staff to raise the quality of service and reduce unit costs since the Patent Office relocated to Newport, South Wales, in 1991".

Details of the fee reductions are available on the Patent Office Web site at www. patent. Gov.uk/ snewslnotices/redfee.html. Copies of the statutory instruments are available from the Stationery Office Bookshops and from the Patent Office. They are The Trade Marks (Fees) Rules 1998 (SI 1998 No 1776), £1.10; The Registered Designs (Fees) Rules 1998 (SI 1998 No 1777), £1.10; and The Patents (Fees) Rules 1998 (SI 1998 No 1778), £1.95.

For further information: Brian Caswell, the Patent Office, +44 (0)1633 814729. Michael Binns, Prowse & Co, +44 (0)1372 363386.