UK £1,500

Our fees to file a UK patent range from £1,500-£2,500, with very simple patents costing possibly less, while a very complex patent would cost more than the top end of the range.

A UK patent gives you a legal right granted by the government to stop others using your invention without your permission for a maximum period of 20 years from the date of the application. Having understood your invention, we can draft a patent specification, which provides proper protection for your inventive concepts, and file your application. There are no official fees to apply for grant of a patent.

You will have one year from the filing date to develop your idea and investigate its commercial possibilities before you have to do anything more about the application.

Steps required within one year

Within a year from the filing date of your UK application we will need to file on your behalf:

• Claims defining the protection you are seeking.
• An abstract giving a brief summary of the invention.
• A request for a search with the official fee of £100.

The UK IPO will search for documents showing inventions similar to yours and issue a search report listing any relevant documents from around the world that they have found in reference books, scientific journals or other patents. This search gives an early indication of how likely you are to obtain a patent.

18 months after filing date

The patent application is automatically published and is available for anyone to look at. This is not a granted patent and you cannot sue anyone yet for using your invention. Within 6 months of publication you must pay £70 in official fees to request examination.

Examination

The UK report may give reasons why the invention is not new or is obvious. You have a time limit to reply to the UK IPO’s letters, and if necessary to try to persuade it that the invention is worthy of a patent. It may be necessary to change the description of the invention or the claims before agreement is reached, and this can take time. Once the UK IPO agrees your invention is new and inventive, your patent will be granted, and notice of it will be published in the Official Journal. A certificate is then sent to you.

How long does the whole process take?

The process for obtaining a UK granted patent usually takes about 4 years from the date of the application, but it is possible to reduce the time to as little as 18 months if the invention is not a complex one.

Renewal fees are due after 4 years from the filing date, and then annual renewal fees need to be paid to keep the patent in force, and these increase as the patent gets older.