Change of official fee/ New appeal system in Japan
As of April 1, 2004, the official fee of the Japanese Patent Office has been changed.
1. Change of Official Fee
(1) Summary
1_A fee for request for examination is doubled.
2_A The Annuity fees are reduced.
| Old | New | |||
| Base Fee (JPY) | Per claim (JPY) | Base Fee (JPY) | Per claim (JPY) | |
| Request for examination | 84,300 | 2,000 | 168,600 | 4,000 |
| Annuity fee for 1st to 3rd year (fixed for three years) | 13,000 | 1,100 | 2,600 | 200 |
| Annuity fee for 4th to 6th year (each year) | 20,300 | 1,600 | 8,100 | 600 |
| Annuity fee for 7th to 9th year (each year) | 40,600 | 3,200 | 24,300 | 1,900 |
(2) The transitional treatment
| Applied Fee Schedule | Request for examination fee | Annuity fees |
| (1) If an application and a request for examination has been filed by March 31, 2004 | Old fee | Old fee |
| (2) If an application has been filed by March 31, 2004 and a request for examination is filed on or after April 1, 2004 | Old fee | **New fee** |
| (3) If an application is filed on or after April 1, 2004 | New fee | New fee |
2. The refund system of examination fee
A half of the examination fee is refunded if the applicant requests for a refund of the examination fee before receiving the first official action. This new refund system will be applied to all applications currently pending.
3. The New Appeal System
The patent opposition system has been unified with the patent invalidation appeal system. The new patent-invalidation appeal may be lodged by anyone at anytime.
| Old | New | ||
| Patent Invalidation Appeal | Opposition | Per claim (JPY) | |
| Who can request |
Party in interest | Anyone | |
| Timing of reques |
No limitation | 6 months from grant of patent | No limitation |
