Rise in patent official fees in New Zealand
Key Takeaways
To avoid a 33%-50% increase in official fees for patent applications in New Zealand, one should endeavour to do the following before 13 February 2020:
File a new patent application with a complete specification.
Request for examination or re-examination.
What Fees are Increasing?
The New Zealand government has recently approved fee changes to the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand’s trade mark and patent services to improve the efficiency of the respective regimes. The fee changes take effect on 13 February 2020.
While there are many fee increases for the official fees relating to patent applications, the more notable fee hikes include the filing of a patent application and requesting examination, each increasing by NZD$250. A new excess claim fee will also apply to applications with 30 claims or more.
Some of the fee increases that may be avoided if early action is taken are listed below:
How Can We Help?
If you plan on protecting your invention or already have an existing patent application in New Zealand, contact us now and we can assist you in safeguarding your invention before the increase in official fees.
This article intends to outline some of the patent issues that you may need to address with your legal counsel when protecting your patent. It does not go into great depth with the subject matter, but offers useful insights into the basics. It is not legal advice and it is not exhaustive of all laws and issues that may apply to your particular business. Qualified legal counsel should review the details of your patent protection in the relevant jurisdiction.