The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that the official fees charged for European patent applications will be increasing from 1 April 2022. More details of the fee increases can be found  here and  here.

The majority of official fees are increasing, including the application fees, search and examination fees, and renewal fees. In each case, the increase will be an “inflationary” amount of around 2 to 5%. A small number of the more modest official fees are not increasing in April 2022.

In view of the EPO's official fee increases, if you would like to file a case early to secure the lower rates, or make a fee payment early on an existing case, please get in touch with your usual J A Kemp contact.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.