The UK remains one of the most cost-effective countries in the world in which to file a patent application, despite the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) recently proposing changes to statutory patents fees.

In the UK, it currently costs just £150 to file a patent application and have it searched.  The IPO has proposed a small increase in its statutory patents fees such that an applicant’s initial expenditure may increase from £150 to £210.  Thus, the official fees to file a patent application in the UK will remain low.

Patent applications filed in the UK benefit from a quick, high-quality search, enabling the applicant to decide whether to proceed with the application.  A report published in 2014 showed that IPO searches are of broadly comparable quality to those of the EPO.  However, it currently costs just £130 to search a GB patent application whereas the European Patent Office (EPO) charges EUR 1,300 to search a European patent application. 

The low official fees and high-quality search offered by the IPO make the UK an attractive choice when considering where to file a priority application.

The increase in fees at the IPO will only serve to improve customer service, through the provision of more electronic services and an increased examination capacity.  The UK is currently analysing feedback on its proposals and the earliest date of any legislation change has been given as 1 October 2017.

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