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Following are fees collected by the USPTO for utility patents. The first three (280+600+720=$1,600) are collected before a patent is granted, to check if the a patent is grantable. If patent is granted, the USPTO has basically done all the work, but it stands to collect another $2,080 in issue and publication fees and $12,600 in maintenance fees to keep the patent in force for it's full 20 year term. So for a rejected application, the USPTO gets $1,600.
For an accepted application that results in a 20-year patent, the USPTO gets $16,280. Plus, it's more work to reject a patent than it is to issue it. To reject a patent, the Office has to explain why the invention should not get a patent. To issue a patent, the Office merely has to accept the Applicant's claim that a patent should issue. Issuing a patent gives ten times more money for less work. Fee schedule from http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee031913.htm: Basic filing fee - Utility 280.00;
Utility Search Fee 600.00;
Utility Examination Fee 720.00;
Utility issue fee 1,780.00;
Publication fee for early, voluntary, or normal publication 300.00;
Patent Maintenance Fees
Due at 3.5 years 1,600.00,
Due at 7.5 years 3,600.00,
Due at 11.5 years 7,400.00. |