How much does it cost to apply for an international patent? Is the procedure cumbersome?

Patent is the best way to protect the achievements of enterprises, which can not only prevent the achievements of hard research and development from being copied, but also enhance self-confidence. Of course, patent application is not as simple as imagined, especially international patent application. How much does it cost to apply for an international patent?

Different countries and different types of international patents need different fees. Different application channels (PCT or Paris Convention) for invention patents and utility model patents require different fees. The international patent application process is roughly divided into these steps.

Step 1: Submit the application.

The applicant submits an international application that meets the requirements of PCT format in one language and pays a set of fees.

Step 2: International search

ISA (one of the major patent offices in the world) searches for public documents that may affect the patentability of inventions and gives opinions on the patentability of inventions.

Step 3: International announcement

The contents of the international application will be made public as soon as possible after the earliest application date 18 months expires.

Step 4: Supplementary international search (optional)

It is conducted by an international retrieval unit that is willing to provide supplementary retrieval without participating in the main retrieval, so as to find the published documents that cannot be retrieved by the international retrieval unit that conducts the main retrieval due to the diversity of existing technologies in the language and technical fields.

Step 5: International preliminary review (optional)

At the request of the applicant, after the international publication (usually in the case of modifying the original application), the international retrieval unit will conduct additional patent analysis.

Step 6: National Stage

After the PCT procedure is completed, the applicant begins to seek patent authorization directly from the patent office of the country (or region) that wishes to obtain a patent.

How much does it cost to apply for an international patent? The specific expenses can be inquired in the patent agency, and the submitted materials can also be prepared according to the reference of the agency, or the patent agency can be entrusted to handle the international patent application.

International patent application patent application fee