New Policy on EPO Official Fee Reduction: Micro-entities Enjoy an Immediate 30% Reduction!

As of April 1, 2024, the European Patent Office's (EPO) fee reduction policy for micro-entities will be officially launched. The fees eligible for reduction include: application fee, search fee, examination fee, designation fee, grant fee, and renewal fee, with the official fee reduction ratio reaching as high as 30%!

1► Application Requirements (all of the following must be met simultaneously)

- The identity must be a micro-entity, natural person, college/university, non-profit organization, or public scientific research institution.

- A micro-enterprise with fewer than 10 employees.

- The cumulative number of European invention applications filed in the past 5 years must not exceed 5.

- The annual turnover of the enterprise does not exceed 2 million euros.

- If there are multiple applicants, each applicant must meet the above identity conditions.

2►

Applicants who wish to enjoy the micro-entity fee reduction need to submit a declaration of eligibility for reduction at the same time as paying the fee. The European Patent Office will conduct random checks on these declarations. If there is reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the applicant's eligibility for reduction, it has the right to require the applicant to provide evidence. If the declaration of the applicant's identity is incorrect or the declaration is omitted, it may lead to the invalidation of the fee reduction, or even the application being deemed withdrawn.

Therefore, Chinese applicants should carefully understand and abide by these new regulations when applying for European patents to ensure that they can enjoy the corresponding fee reduction benefits and avoid unnecessary risks.