Patent owners will benefit from a number of changes to SIPO’s official fees for patent applications in China, which will come into effect from 1 August 2018. The changes were announced by the Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission on 12 April 2018 and are aimed at reducing the fee burden for innovative companies.
Under the changes a number of official fees for patent applications have been waived. We outline the changes below:
| Item | Current fee | New fees from August 2018 |
| Patent registration fee | RMB200 for invention patent and RMB150 for design and utility model patent | Waived |
| Printing fee for the announcement | RMB50 | Waived |
| Changing the recordal of patent agency and patent agent | RMB50 | Waived |
| Transmittal fee for PCT international application | RMB500 | Waived |
| Refund of examination fee | It cannot be claimed after the SIPO issues the Notification of Entry into Substantive Examination Procedure | 50% examination fee can be refunded before the expiration of the time limit to respond to the First Office Action (FOA), if the applicant withdraws the application without the response to the FOA |
In addition, for China domestic patentees who are eligible to apply for an annuity reduction, the reduction period is extended from 6 years, calculated from the year of grant, to 10 years.
Should you have any questions in regard to these new fees, please contact us.