EPO fee changes come into force

The biennial increase in official fees at the European Patent Office (EPO) came into force on 1 April 2020. The vast majority of fee increases relate to Euro-zone inflation. The exception to this is the fee for filing an appeal. For large entities, this has increased by 20%, from €2255 to €2705. Moves towards increasing the independence of the Boards of Appeal and tackling the backlog of pending appeal cases may lie behind this outlying increase. Smaller applicants (such as natural persons, non-profit organisations, and small and medium-sized enterprises) have been protected however, as the appeal fee for such entities has increased by only 4%, from €1880 to €1955.

For further detail, please see the official schedule of fees and expenses or an FAQ page on which the EPO answers questions relating to entitlement to the lower appeal fee.