In a piece of good news for smaller companies, start-ups and universities, the Japan Patent Office has announced that they will implement a fee reduction system for examination requests and the first to tenth years of annuities in patent applications. The system will commence operation on April 1, 2019.

 

Applicants that meet the JPO’s requirements for small entity status will see the examination request fee reduced by half, while applicants that qualify for micro entity status will have their fee reduced by two thirds.

 

Please refer to the link below for details.

 

Japan Patent Office to Offer Reduced Fees for Small/Micro Entities