What happens if I forget to pay the patent maintenance fee? How much is the patent maintenance fee?
What happens if I forget to pay the patent maintenance fee? How much is the patent maintenance fee? Generally speaking, the patent maintenance fee is the embodiment of the annual patent fee, because the most important thing in the patent application process is the renewal of the annual patent fee. The annual patent fee is getting bigger and bigger, and it was more expensive to maintain patents in the past. However, with the support of national policies for patented technology, it doesn't cost much to apply for a patent. Everyone should remember to pay the patent maintenance fee on time. Once extended or directly expired, the patent will be invalid. What will happen if I forget to pay the patent maintenance fee for the "annual fee for appearance patent"? Patent maintenance fee, also called annual fee, refers to the fee paid by the patentee to the State Patent Office year by year in order to maintain the validity of the patent right. The patentee should pay an annual fee after obtaining the patent right for invention-creation, which is a common practice in patent systems all over the world. If the patentee fails to fulfill this obligation, the patent maintenance fee, also known as the annual patent fee, refers to the fee paid by the patentee to the State Patent Office year by year in order to maintain the effectiveness of the patent right. If the annual fee is not paid on time or the amount paid is insufficient, it can be paid back within six months from the date of expiration of the annual fee, and the late payment fee can be paid at the same time; The amount of the late payment fee is calculated by adding 5% of the full annual fee of the current year for every 1 month that exceeds the prescribed payment time; If the overdue payment time exceeds the prescribed time limit but is less than one month, the late payment fee will not be paid. If it is overdue for more than one month, a late fee of 5% of the annual fee will be added, with a maximum of 25%. If it is not paid at the expiration of the time limit, the patent right shall be terminated from the date of paying the annual fee. It used to be difficult to apply for a patent, but now the patent maintenance fee is basically not much. With the adjustment of national policies, not only the patent application fee can be reduced, but also the annual fee can be reduced. All patentees should worry about paying fees in the later period of patent application, but they should also remind patentees to pay patent fees in time to avoid patent invalidation.