Costs in international patenting
The costs consist of fees for applying for patents in the individual countries and the use of an attorney to assist with the application process. The fees depend on the application procedure you choose. The costs associated with the use of a patent attorney in each country, and in particular costs associated with translating the patent application and/or the patent into the language of each individual country often account for a large share of the total costs.
The total costs may also increase substantially if you encounter problems in having the patent application approved in each individual country, as this often means extended processing time and a greater need for assistance from a patent attorney. There will also be associated costs for granting and maintaining the patent. Many countries also require a patent to be translated into the country's own language for it to be valid in that country.
Applying for a patent in several countries can become expensive. Before beginning this process, you should therefore consider whether a patent will pay for itself.
Some examples of costs follow below. For more detailed information, contact a patent agency or the Norwegian Industrial Property Office.
Examples of application costs
Here are some examples of what applying for a patent abroad can cost. We wish to point out that the amounts can vary significantly from one application to another. Translation costs and consultants' fees can also mount up. The costs involved when combining different application procedures are not described in detail.
International Patent Application (PCT)
If you use the international patent system (PCT), a patent application will cost approx. NOK 35-50,000 plus VAT. This amount includes a filing fee of around NOK 20,000. In addition, fees may accrue for revision of the PCT application.
In the event of national continuation after 30 to 31 months, there will be additional expenditure for a patent attorney and translation ranging from NOK 30-70,000 in the countries where you choose to file the application.
- Read more on the WIPO website: "PCT filing and PCT fees"
- See also Fees for filing PCT applications on this website.
After the application has been forwarded to national or regional patent offices, you will have to pay annual fees to them. When the patent has been granted, you will have to pay an annual fee for each year you wish the patent to be maintained.
European Patent Application (EPC)
If you wish to use the EPC system and will be filing an application at the EPO (European Patent Office), the patent attorney's fee may be of the order of NOK 50-80,000 plus VAT. Expenses for any processing of the application through to validation may also accrue.
After the application has been approved at the EPO, there will also be a validation charge which includes translation expenses, of at least NOK 20,000 per country you designate.
Read more on the EPO website:
When the application has led to a patent at the EPO, you must pay annual fees in each country where you wish to maintain the patent. The annual fees vary from country to country.