Reduced fees to be available for “micro-entities” applying for European patents
02 Feb 2024
The European Patent Office has announced that micro-entities will soon be able to pay reduced official fees. From 1st April 2024, qualifying applicants can obtain a 30% reduction on many of the fees to be paid during the application process.
The fee reductions will be available to micro-entities, which includes microenterprises, individuals, non-profit organisations, universities and public research organisations. A microenterprise is defined as a company with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet below €2 million.
These changes represent significant savings for small applicants. Similar fee reductions for small entities have been available in the US for many years.
