EPO Discontinues Reduced Search Fee for Most European Regional Phase Applications

At present, the supplementary search fee that falls due upon entry into the European regional phase is reduced by EUR 190 if the international search report was drawn up by the US, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian or Australian patent office. The EPO has announced that for applications that enter the European regional phase from 1 April 2018, the 190 EUR reduction in the supplementary search fee will no longer be available.

Accordingly, applicants who selected the US, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian or Australian patent office as international searching authority may wish to consider entering the European regional phase before 1 April 2018, so that the 190 EUR reduction in the search fee is still available.

If you have any questions regarding this change or would like our assistance in filing a European regional phase application, please get in touch with your usual J A Kemp contact.