The Patent and Trademark Office has continued its trend of raising its filing fees this year.
The increases, which went into effect Thursday, primarily affect filing, maintenance and terminal disclaimer fees.
The increases aren't terribly large, about a 4 percent to 5 percent increase, and don't affect every kind of application filed. Still, at least one patent lawyer notes that the increases might deter some people from filing.
"These increases just make the process a little more painful. I don't think it's going to be a huge obstacle, but it has been getting more and more expensive in recent years," says Paul Rivard, a partner at Banner & Witcoff.
Rivard also notes, however, that the increases weren't unexpected. "It's fairly typical of what we see each year. It just makes the process a little more painful," he says.
The PTO did not immediately return calls for comment.
First reported in The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times
