The Community patent and the patent system in Europe, with evidence / House of Lords, Select committee on the European Communities.

  • Great Britain. Parliment. House of Lords. Select Committee on the European Communities.
Date:
1998
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: The Community patent and the patent system in Europe, with evidence / House of Lords, Select committee on the European Communities. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    {Chairman Contd] costs about £3,000, which is not an outrageous difference although it is a significant one. Just for completeness, I might say that a British patent for the same period costs £225. 289. It was put to us that in striking a balance between procedural fees and renewal fees you ought to try to keep the procedural fees down and make up your money on the renewal fees because after all they would be paid by people whose patents are sufficiently successful to be worth maintaining, a progressive tax almost. (Mr Hartnack) That has consistently been the view of governments in this country. Our initial fees are very low. I think £225, which effectively is payable in most cases over a period of two or three years and even if you want rapid grant is payable over ten months, is really very low. I contrast that £225 with the £1,000-odd that the United States charges for small firms because they offer a 50 per cent discount to their small firms. By comparison, the total costs over the life of a US patent are £5,000 for a large entity and £2,500 for a small one. Our fees over 20 years are £4,000. Although we charge less over the whole life of the patent our fees are very much loaded towards the back end. The justification for that is to encourage market entry companies and individuals to come into the system by keeping costs low, and to avoid keeping unwanted monopolies on the register by having an increasing renewal fee. Hopefully with the passage of time the patent becomes more profitable but if it is not the owner is encouraged to let it lapse. Chairman] Does anybody else want to ask another question? In that case than you very much, you have been most helpful to us. We can now consider our report. Thank you.