Unitary patent: EPO adopts 'true top 4' renewal fee
On Wednesday 24 June 2015 the Select Committee of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Office (EPO) decided to adopt the 'True Top 4' proposal for the unitary patent, in which the unitary patent renewal fee is based on the combined renewal fees for the four most frequently validated countries (Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands), subject to a review in four years' time.
Proposed unitary patent renewal fee
The proposed fees are likely to be:
Year 2: EUR €350
Year 3: EUR €465
Year 4: EUR €580
Year 5: EUR €810
Year 6: EUR €855
Year 7: EUR €900
Year 8: EUR €970
Year 9: EUR €1,020
Year 10: EUR €1,175
Year 11: EUR €1,460
Year 12: EUR €1,775
Year 13: EUR €2,105
Year 14: EUR €2,455
Year 15: EUR €2,830
Year 16: EUR €3,240
Year 17: EUR €3,640
Year 18: EUR €4,055
Year 19: EUR €4,455
Year 20: EUR €4,855
Commenting on this development, President Benoît Battistelli said: "I am confident that today's decision strikes a positive balance, ensuring that the fees represent a real cost saving to the user and also providing a healthy operating budget for the EPO and the participating member states. This is another major step in achieving truly uniform patent protection in Europe."
Useful link
News update from the EPO, 24 June 2015, 'Business friendly fee pattern adopted for the Unitary Patent': www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2015/20150624.html