How Much Does A Patent Cost In Major Countries?
- January 13, 2023
A patent is an exclusive right awarded for an invention to the applicant for a limited period of time. The process of obtaining a patent requires a set of procedures to be followed and these procedures involved some costs associated with it. So, it is crucial to stay updated about the costs that are associated to get a patent, as a considerable amount is required to get the patent granted.Â
The estimation of patent costs is a cumbersome process, as it depends on the technology involved in the particular patent. Also, the cost of obtaining a patent depends on the type of patent (utility patent, design patent, or plant patent), and taking that into account, below is a broad cost estimation involved in obtaining a patent in major countries such as the United States, Europe, China, Australia, Japan, and India.Â
There are typically four types of costs associated with getting a patent in different countries:Â
- Filing Fee (Patent Office Expenses)Â
- Legal Fee (Expenses of Patent Attorney)Â
- Drafting & Illustration FeeÂ
- Maintenance FeeÂ
Table of Contents
United States
The rough estimate of the filing cost in the US ranges between $8000 – $15000, and sometimes more. Utility patents and design patents are discussed separately to provide a clearer picture of the costs associated with getting a patent.Â
Utility Patent:Â In the US, based on the nature of an invention such as a basic invention (e.g. an electric switch), a less complex invention (e.g. the handheld drilling machine), or an extraordinarily complex invention (e.g. networking systems), the cost of getting a patent varies as described in the table below:Â
Nature of invention | Associated Cost | Patent Search Cost (Optional) |
Basic | $5000-$7500 | $800-$1200 |
Simple | $7500-$8500 | $800-$1200 |
Less Complex | $8500-$10500 | $1200-$1500 |
Moderately Complex | $10500-$12500 | $1500-$1750 |
Relatively Complex | $12500-$14500 | $1750-$2000 |
Extraordinary Complex | $14500-$16000 | $2000-$2450 |
Software Related | More than $16000 | $2450-$3000 |
The Maintenance fees for a utility patent are listed below which vary on the size of the entity:Â
Year | Micro Entity Fee (USD) | Small Entity Fee (USD) | Large Entity Fee (USD) |
Due at 3.5 years | 400 | 800 | 2000 |
Due at 7.5 years | 752 | 1504 | 3760 |
Due at 11.5 years | 1540 | 3080 | 7700 |
Design Patent:Â The filing fee for a design patent depends on the type of entity that is filing the patent. Entities are typically divided into three categories: micro-entity, small entity, and large entity. However, the typical expense would range between $2000-$3500.Â
AustraliaÂ
The cost of obtaining a utility patent and design patent in Australia is disclosed below:Â
Utility Patent:Â The fees involved in obtaining a patent in Australia include fees related to application filing, examination, and acceptance.Â
- Application Fee: The application fee varies depending on the type of application you are filing.Â
- Provisional Application – A minimum of $110 is required to file a provisional application. Additionally, an optional international patent search can be conducted which costs nearly $950.Â
- Non-Provisional Application (Standard Patent Application) – A minimum of $370 is required to file a standard patent application.Â
Additionally, the provisional and non-provisional application filing fees rise to $210 and $570, respectively, if the application is sent via postal service.Â
- Examination Fee: The cost of the examination varies according to the nature of the invention, but generally starts at a minimum of $490.Â
- Acceptance Fee: Once the application goes through the examination stage, an acceptance fee needs to be paid which is near to $250.Â
- Maintenance Fee: The cost of maintenance of a patent in Australia is listed below:
Year | Fee ($) |
4th Year | 300 |
6th Year | 315 |
7th Year | 335 |
8th Year | 360 |
9th Year | 390 |
10th Year | 425 |
11th Year | 490 |
12th Year | 585 |
13th Year | 710 |
14th Year | 865 |
15th Year | 1050 |
16th Year | 1280 |
17th Year | 1555 |
18th Year | 1875 |
19th Year | 2240 |
20th Year | 2650 |
Design Patent:Â A minimum of $250 is required to register a design patent in Australia. Apart from this, $420 costs an examination fee to get the design examined.Â
Additionally, a renewal fee is applicable to renew the design which costs a minimum of $400.Â
Europe
Below is a breakdown of how much it costs to get a utility patent and a design patent in Europe:Â
Utility Patent: The cost of obtaining a patent in Europe includes the European Patent Office grant procedure fee, attorney fee, validation fee, and maintenance & renewal charges. The total cumulative fee from filing till the patent grant costs approximately £19000.Â
The detailed costs involved in obtaining a European patent are listed below:Â
- Drafting Fee: The fee for drafting a patent range between £3000-£5500. More complex inventions may cost more.Â
- Filing Fee: The cost of filing a patent at EPO costs nearly £1000.Â
- Examination Fee: £1700 is required as the examination fee.Â
-   Designation Fee: A total of 38 states are included and it costs nearly £610 as the designation fee.Â
- Renewal/Maintenance Fee: The cost of maintenance of a utility patent in Europe is listed below:Â
Year (Every Year) | Fee (£) | Additional Fee (£) |
3rd Year | 505 | 252.5 |
4th Year | 630 | 315 |
6th Year | 1125 | 440 |
7th Year | 1245 | 562.5 |
8th Year | 1370 | 622.5 |
9th Year | 1495 | 685 |
10th – 20th Year | 1690 | 845 |
Apart from these fees, validation, prosecution, and grants may also apply for obtaining a patent.Â
Design Patent: The fee to register a design patent is at least £350-£700. Additionally, renewal and ongoing management of design also account for other fees.Â
ChinaÂ
The cost of obtaining an invention patent, utility model, and design patent in China is disclosed below:Â
In China, there are several fees associated with obtaining a patent, including filing fees, examination fees (only for invention patents), registration fees, and government annual fees. A legal fee is also applicable in addition to all these expenses which is close to 3200 RMB in cost. Further, the following three patent categories can be acquired in China:Â
Invention Patent:Â Â
- Filing Fee – The filing fee for an invention patent is 900 RMB.Â
- Examination Fee – The fee for the examination of an invention patent is 1000 RMB.Â
- Registration Fee – The registration fee for an invention patent is 200 RMB.Â
- Government/Maintenance Fee (Annual) – Â
Year (Every Year)Â | Fee (RMB)Â |
1-3 Years | 900 |
4-6 Years | 1200 |
7-9 Years | 2000 |
10-12 Years | 4000 |
13-15 Years | 6000 |
16-20 Years | 8000 |
 Utility Model & Design Patent:Â
- Filing Fee – The fee for filing a utility model/design patent is 500 RMB.Â
- Registration Fee – The registration fee for a utility model/design patent is 150 RMB.Â
- Government/Maintenance Fees – Â
Year (Every Year)Â | Fee (RMB)Â |
1-3 Years | 600 |
4-5 Years | 900 |
6-8 Years | 1200 |
9-10 Years | 2000 |
Japan
Below is the information regarding the costs associated to get a utility patent, a utility model patent, and a design patent in Japan:Â
There are two types of fees involved in obtaining a patent in Japan i.e., attorney fee and patent office fee, also known as an official fee.Â
Utility Patent:Â Â
- Filing Fee – The filing fee for a utility patent in Japan includes the patent office fee and attorney fee. The patent office fee is Â¥14000, whereas the attorney fee is Â¥1,00,000.Â
- Examination Fee – For examination, the patent office fee is Â¥1,38,000, and the attorney fee is Â¥14000.Â
- Annual/Maintenance Fee – Â
Year (Every Year)Â | Official Fee (Â¥)Â |
1-3 Years | 4,300 |
4-6 Years | 10,300 |
7-9 Years | 24,800 |
10-25 Years | 59,400 |
Utility Model:Â
- Filing Fee – The patent office fee is Â¥14000 for filing a utility model in Japan, whereas the attorney fee is Â¥1,00,000.Â
- Registrability Report Fee – The registrability report fee for a JP utility model is Â¥42,000.Â
- Annual/Maintenance Fee – Â
Year (Every Year)Â | Official Fee (Â¥)Â |
1-3 Years | 2,100 |
4-6 Years | 6,100 |
7-10 Years | 18,100 |
 Design Patent:Â
- Filing Fee – The patent office fee for filing a design patent is Â¥16000, whereas the attorney fee is Â¥1,00,000.Â
- Annual/ Maintenance Fee – Â
Year (Every Year)Â | Official Fee (Â¥)Â |
1-3 Years | 8,500 |
4-25 Years | 16,900 |
India
The following is a list of the main expenses related to obtaining a utility patent and design patent in India:Â
Utility Patent:Â
- Filing Fee – The filing fee of a utility patent includes an official fee that ranges between ₹1600 – 8000. Specifically, ₹1600, ₹4000, and ₹8000 for micro entity or individual, small entity, and large entity respectively. Apart from the official fee, an attorney fee is required to file the patent which costs between ₹4000 – ₹15000. Â
- Examination Fee – The examination fee includes an official fee that ranges between ₹4000 – ₹20000 and an attorney fee that ranges between ₹4000 – ₹15000.Â
- Maintenance Fee – The maintenance fee for a patent in India is tabulated below:Â
Year | Small Entity Fee (₹) | Standard Fee (₹) |
3rd Year | 800-2000 | 4000 |
4th Year | 800-2000 | 4000 |
6th Year | 800-2000 | 4000 |
7th Year | 800-2000 | 4000 |
8th Year | 2400-6000 | 12000 |
9th Year | 2400-6000 | 12000 |
10th Year | 2400-6000 | 12000 |
11th Year | 2400-6000 | 12000 |
12th Year | 4800-12000 | 24000 |
13th Year | 4800-12000 | 24000 |
14th Year | 4800-12000 | 24000 |
15th Year | 4800-12000 | 24000 |
16th Year | 4800-12000 | 24000 |
17th Year | 8000-20000 | 40000 |
18th Year | 8000-20000 | 40000 |
19th Year | 8000-20000 | 40000 |
20th Year | 8000-20000 | 40000 |
 Apart from these fees, additional attorney fees for responding to examination reports, hearings, and grants may also be applicable.Â
Design Patent:Â
The filing fee for a design patent in India is ₹10,000, whereas a renewal fee of ₹3000 is applicable after a certain period of time.Â
All in all, we got an idea of how much it costs to obtain a patent in major jurisdictions (US, Australia, Europe, China, Japan & India) and it can be said that different jurisdictions have different costs involved in obtaining a patent. Further, obtaining a patent requires a good amount of funds. Having said that, it is always advisable to contact a leading IP firm that can assist in obtaining the patent with optimum costs.Â
About TTC
We’ve constantly identified the value of new technology carried out by our pretty skilled executive crew with backgrounds as our professionals. Like the IP professionals we empower, our starvation for development is never-ending. We IMPROVISE, ADAPT, and IMPLEMENT in a strategic manner.
TT Consultants offers a range of efficient, high-quality solutions for your intellectual property management ranging from
- Patentability Search
- Invalidation Search
- FTO (Freedom to Operate)
- Patent Portfolio Management
- Patent Monitoring
- Patent Infringement Search
- Patent Drafting & Illustrations
and much more. We provide both law firms and corporations in many industries with turnkey solutions.
Contact UsRecent Posts
Categories
- 3D Printing7 Posts
- 5G6 Posts
- AI & LLM24 Posts
- Archive Events18 Posts
- Automobile Industry25 Posts
- Biotechnology4 Posts
- Canada1 Posts
- Case Studies16 Posts
- Chemical8 Posts
- China5 Posts
- Competitor Benchmarking18 Posts
- Consumer Products43 Posts
- Corporate53 Posts
- Design Search5 Posts
- Electric Vehicles4 Posts
- Europe - UK2 Posts
- Events1 Posts
- Freedom to Operate24 Posts
- Geographical3 Posts
- Ideacue1 Posts
- Infringement Search53 Posts
- Intellectual Property (IP)187 Posts
- Invalidation22 Posts
- Inventor1 Posts
- IP Trends47 Posts
- Japan2 Posts
- Landscape Analysis48 Posts
- Latest Technology79 Posts
- Life Sciences36 Posts
- M&A - Patent Due Diligence1 Posts
- Machine Learning6 Posts
- Mechanical Engineering3 Posts
- Medical Devices3 Posts
- Mergers and Acquisitions5 Posts
- Metaverse(AR/VR)10 Posts
- Patent Drafting & Illustrations72 Posts
- Patent Monitoring31 Posts
- Patent Portfolio Commercialization31 Posts
- Patent Portfolio Management68 Posts
- Patent Prosecution77 Posts
- Patentability Search63 Posts
- Pharmaceuticals6 Posts
- Press Release20 Posts
- Semiconductor and Electronics5 Posts
- Smartphone Technology3 Posts
- Standard Essential Patents (SEP)11 Posts
- State of the Art15 Posts
- Tech Scaper1 Posts
- Technology124 Posts
- Technology Scouting19 Posts
- Telecummunication6 Posts
- USA4 Posts
- Whitespace Analysis12 Posts