PATENT LEARNING CENTER - by Trademarks On Call®

Provided by Trademarks On Call®, the Patent Learning Center is for informational purposes only, not legal advice. Select a topic below to learn more about patents:

Patents | Design Patents | Provisional Applications | Utility Patents

Applying for Patents | Patent Office Actions | Patent Maintenance

PATENT MAINTENANCE

In the United States, once a Utility Patent is granted, the patent owner is responsible for paying periodic fees to keep the patent granted. These patent maintenance fees, which are sometimes also referred to as patent renewal fees, are paid to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. If a patent maintenance fee is not paid on time, the patent will be abandoned.

For Utility Patents, the patent maintenance fees are due at three separate intervals over the course of the 20 year patent grant. The patent maintenance fees are required at the 4th, 8th and 12th anniversary from the date the patent is granted. There is a "window period" for payment of each fee, which is the 6-month period before each fee is actually due.

Patent maintenance fees are not required for Design Patents.