USPTO fee increases now in effect

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) increased various fees effective January 19, 2025. The majority of the fee increases are approximately 7.5% higher than the previous rates. However, some changes are more substantial.

Notable fee increases

• New "Continuing Application fees" of up to $2700 will be applied to continuing patent applications (continuations, divisional applications, and continuations-in-part) filed more than six years after a claimed priority date. These fees increase to $4000 if filed more than nine years after the claimed priority date.
  
  
• The fee for a second and each subsequent request for continued examination (RCE) during patent examination has increased by 43%.
  
  
• The Design Patent Application filing fee has increased by 36%, the search fee by 88%, and the issue fee by 76%.
  
  
• Fees for inter partes review or post-grant review of issued patents have also seen significant increases.

Discounts for small and micro entities

Discounts of 60% for "small entities" and 80% for "micro entities" will continue to apply to many USPTO fees.

For more detailed information on the scope and rationale for the fee increases, please refer to the USPTO notice in the Federal Register: "Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees During Fiscal Year 2025."

If you would like to discuss options for maximizing your US patent-related budgets, please get in touch with your usual Berggren contact or directly with Robert Alderson, who leads Berggren's US Desk.