Insights: Renewal fee increases in Australia

The Australian Patent Office will be changing various official fees for patents, trademarks and designs from 1 October 2020. Notably, patent renewal fees for the 12^th – 19^th anniversaries are increasing substantially. There are also significant increases for patent renewal fees for the 20^th – 24^th anniversaries, which apply to pharmaceutical patents having an extended term. These notable changes are set out in the tables provided below.

For Australian patents, it is possible to pay multiple renewal fees at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to pay renewal fees for the entire remaining term before the increase in fees comes into force on 1 October 2020. For example, if the next renewal fee due is for the 12^th anniversary, AU$4325 could be saved by paying all renewal fees remaining in the patent term before 1 October 2020. If a portfolio contains multiple such patents then the costs savings may be significant.

If you would like to pay some or all of the renewal fees for your Australian patent before the fee change, then please contact our renewals team at renewals@boult.com by 17 SEPTEMBER 2020.

Renewal Fees for Patents

Renewal Fees for Pharmaceutical Patents having an Extended Term