Renewals in the US
USPTO Patent Renewal Fees
US Patent Renewal Fee Schedule
Renewal Fees:
For Patent Years | Large Entity Renewal Fee | Small / Micro Entity Renewal Fee |
---|---|---|
4+ | $1,600 | $800 / $400 |
8+ | $3,600 | $1,800 / $900 |
12+ | $7,400 | $3,700 / $1850 |
Penalty Fees (for late payment):
Large Entity Penalty Fee | Small Entity Penalty Fee | Micro Entity Penalty Fee |
---|---|---|
$160 | $80 | $40 |
Fees are listed in US Dollars.
US Patent Renewal Rules
US patent renewal/maintenance fees are only due three times during their lifetime. They are also only payable after the patent has been granted.
The first fee is due three years and six months after grant, and its payment permits the patent to remain in force beyond the fourth anniversary of grant. The second fee is payable by seven years and six months after grant, and the third by eleven years and six months.
Fees can be paid up to six months before the deadline.
Penalty fees for late payment start immediately after the payment due date has passed, as detailed in the table below. The patent lapses after six months.
There are three classification of entity type for US Patents: Large, Small and Micro. Small Entities pay 50% of the Large Entity fees and Micro Entities just 25%. A Small Entity is an individual, business with less than 500 employees, or a not-for-profit organisation (such as a university). The entity must not have licensed the patent rights to a Large Entity and must not be under any contractual obligation to do so. A Micro Entity is a subset of Small Entities. To qualify as a Micro Entity, the patent applicant must also not be named on more than four previous applications and must not have an income of excess of three times the previous year’s median household income (i.e. approximately 3 x $50,000).
Maintaining US Patents
RenewalsDesk offers an easy to use, online service for managing your patents – from the US and other countries.
Check the dates of upcoming US patent renewals, get alerted and pay the patent maintenance fees US patents incur over their lifetimes.
How it works
Find and add your US patents,
instantly see fees and due dates
Receive renewal reminders/
proposals by email
Pay us in your currency
by bank transfer or credit card
We make the payment to the US
Patent Office
Receive formal renewal
confirmation
Repeats for each renewal
until cancellation
Patent Renewal Fees
Find patent office renewal fees by country