Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees, 4211-4291 [2013-00819]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• Patent and Trademark Office

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 13 (Friday, January 18, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4211-4291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00819]



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Vol. 78

Friday,

No. 13

January 18, 2013

Part II





Department of Commerce





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Patent and Trademark Office





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37 CFR Parts 1, 41, and 42





Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees; Final Rule

Federal Register / Vol. 78 , No. 13 / Friday, January 18, 2013 / 
Rules and Regulations

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Patent and Trademark Office

37 CFR Parts 1, 41, and 42

[Docket No. PTO-C-2011-0008]
RIN 0651-AC54


Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office or 
USPTO) sets or adjusts patent fees in this rulemaking as authorized by 
the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Act or AIA). The fees will provide 
the Office with a sufficient amount of aggregate revenue to recover its 
aggregate cost of patent operations, while helping the Office implement 
a sustainable funding model, reduce the current patent application 
backlog, decrease patent application pendency, improve patent quality, 
and upgrade the Office's patent business information technology (IT) 
capability and infrastructure. The fees also will further key policy 
considerations. The Office also reduces fees for micro entities under 
section 10(b) of the Act by 75 percent in this rulemaking and extends 
the existing fee discount of 50 percent for small entities to 
additional fees in this rulemaking.

DATES: This rule is effective on March 19, 2013, except for amendments 
to Sec.  1.18(a)(1), (b)(1), (c)(1), and (d)(1) (patent issue and 
publication fees); Sec.  1.21(h)(1) (fee for recording a patent 
assignment electronically); Sec.  1.482(a)(1)(i)(A), (a)(1)(ii)(A), and 
(a)(2)(i) (international application filing, processing and search 
fees); and Sec.  1.445(a)(1)(i)(A), (a)(2)(i), (a)(3)(i), and (a)(4)(i) 
(international application transmittal and search fees), which will be 
effective on January 1, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Picard, Office of the Chief 
Financial Officer, by telephone at (571) 272-6354 or by email at 
michelle.picard@uspto.gov; or Dianne Buie, Office of Planning and 
Budget, by telephone at (571) 272-6301 or by email at 
dianne.buie@uspto.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This rule was proposed in a notice of 
proposed rulemaking published at 77 FR 55028 (Sept. 6, 2012) 
(hereinafter NPRM).

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary
II. Legal Framework
III. Rulemaking Goals and Strategies
IV. Fee Setting Methodology
V. Individual Fee Rationale
VI. Discussion of Comments
VII. Discussion of Specific Rules
VIII. Rulemaking Considerations

I. Executive Summary

A. Purpose of This Action

    Section 10 of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act authorizes the 
Director of the USPTO to set or adjust by rule any patent fee 
established, authorized, or charged under Title 35, United States Code 
(U.S.C.) for any services performed by, or materials furnished by, the 
Office. Section 10 prescribes that fees may be set or adjusted only to 
recover the aggregate estimated costs to the Office for processing, 
activities, services, and materials relating to patents, including 
administrative costs to the Office with respect to such patent 
operations. Section 10 authority includes flexibility to set individual 
fees in a way that furthers key policy considerations, while taking 
into account the cost of the respective services. See Section 10 of the 
Act, Public Law 112-29, 125 Stat. at 316-17. Section 10 also 
establishes certain procedural requirements for setting or adjusting 
fee regulations, such as public hearings and input from the Patent 
Public Advisory Committee and oversight by Congress.
    The fee schedule in this final rule will recover the aggregate 
estimated costs of the Office while achieving strategic and operational 
goals, such as implementing a sustainable funding model, reducing the 
current patent application backlog, decreasing patent application 
pendency, improving patent quality, and upgrading the patent IT 
business capability and infrastructure.
    The United States economy depends on high quality and timely 
patents to protect new ideas and investments for business and job 
growth. To reduce the backlog and decrease patent application pendency, 
the USPTO must examine significantly more patent applications than it 
receives each year for the next several years. Bringing the number of 
applications in the backlog down to a manageable level, while at the 
same time keeping pace with the new patent applications expected to be 
filed each year, requires the Office to collect more aggregate revenue 
than it estimates that it will collect at existing fee rates. The 
Office estimates that the additional aggregate revenue derived from 
this fee schedule will enable a decrease in total patent application 
pendency by 11.3 months during the five-year planning horizon (fiscal 
year (FY) 2013-FY 2017), thus permitting a patentee to obtain a patent 
sooner than he or she would have under the status quo fee schedule. The 
additional revenue from this fee schedule also will recover the cost to 
begin building a three-month patent operating reserve. The Office 
estimates that the patent operating reserve will accumulate almost two 
months of patent operating expenses by the end of the five-year 
planning horizon (FY 2013-FY 2017) and will reach the three-month 
target in FY 2018, thereby continuing to build a sustainable funding 
model that will aid the Office in maintaining shorter pendency and an 
optimal patent application inventory.
    Additionally, the fee schedule in this final rule will advance key 
policy considerations while taking into account the cost of individual 
services. For example, the rule includes multipart and staged fees for 
requests for continued examination (RCEs), appeals, and contested 
cases, all of which aim to increase patent prosecution options for 
applicants. Also, this rule includes a new 75 percent fee reduction for 
micro entities and expands the availability of the 50 percent fee 
reduction for small entities as required under section 10, providing 
small entities a discount on more than 25 patent fees that do not 
currently qualify for a small entity discount.

B. Summary of Provisions Impacted by This Action

    This final rule sets or adjusts 351 patent fees--93 apply to large 
entities (any reference herein to ``large entity'' includes all 
entities other than small or micro entities), 94 to small entities, 93 
to micro entities, and 71 are not entity-specific. Of the 93 large 
entity fees, 71 are adjusted, 18 are set at existing fee amounts, and 4 
were first proposed in the preceding NPRM. Of the 94 small entity fees, 
85 are adjusted, 5 are set at existing fee amounts, and 4 were first 
proposed in the NPRM. There are 93 new micro entity fees first proposed 
in the NPRM that are set at a reduction of 75 percent from the large 
entity fee amounts. Of the 71 fees that are not entity-specific, 9 are 
adjusted in this rule, and 62 are set at existing fee amounts.
    In all, once effective, the routine fees to obtain a patent (i.e., 
filing, search, examination, publication, and issue fees) will decrease 
by at least 23 percent under this final rule relative to the current 
fee schedule. Also, despite increases in some fees, applicants who meet 
the new micro entity definition will pay less than the amount paid for 
small entity fees under the current fee schedule for 87 percent of the 
fees eligible for a discount under section 10(b). Additional 
information describing

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the adjustments is included in Part V. Individual Fee Rationale section 
of Supplementary Information for this final rulemaking.

C. Summary of Costs and Benefits of This Action

    The Office prepared a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) to consider 
the costs and benefits of this final rule over a five-year period (FY 
2013-FY 2017). In the RIA developed for the NPRM, the Office offered a 
discussion of monetized and qualitative costs that could be derived 
from the proposed patent fee schedule. The Office made several 
inferences using internal data and relevant academic literature. Upon 
further review of the proposed rulemaking and source materials, and 
consistent with OMB Circular A-4, Regulatory Analysis, as discussed 
further in the RIA, the USPTO no longer monetizes costs and benefits in 
the final rule or the RIA. Rather, this final rule for the purposes of 
regulatory review is considered to be a transfer payment from one group 
to another, and discussion of all costs and benefits is qualitative in 
nature. Thus, the RIA for this final rule outlines the transfer and 
assesses the qualitative benefits and costs that accrue to patent 
applicants, patent holders, and other patent stakeholders in the United 
States. The RIA includes a qualitative comparison of the final fee 
schedule to the current fee schedule (Baseline) and to three other 
alternatives considered. The RIA assesses the change in qualitative 
costs or benefits related to the changes in the final fee schedule 
using certain key indicators when comparing the Baseline. The RIA 
concludes that the patent fee schedule set forth in this final rule has 
the most significant net benefit among the alternatives considered. See 
Table 1. The complete RIA is available for review at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1.

  Table 1--Final Patent Fee Schedule Costs and Benefits, Cumulative FY
                              2013--FY 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Transfers
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Transfers.................................  $13,993 million
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                     Qualitative Costs and Benefits
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Costs:
    Cost of patent operations.............  Minimal
    Lost patent value from a decrease in    Minimal
     patent applications.
Benefit:
    Increase in private patent value from   Significant
     a decrease in pendency.
    Fee Schedule Design Benefits..........  Moderate
    (Significant, Moderate, Not
     Significant).
    Decreased Uncertainty Effect..........  Significant
    (Significant, Moderate, Not
     Significant).
    Net Benefit...........................  Significant
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To assess the qualitative benefits of the final fee schedule, the 
Office considered how the value of a patent would increase under the 
final fee schedule, as well as benefits from improving the fee schedule 
design and benefits from decreased uncertainty. When patent application 
pendency decreases, a patentee holds the exclusive right to the 
invention sooner, which increases the private value of that patent. 
Because the outcomes of this final rule will decrease patent 
application pendency, the Office expects that the private patent value 
will increase considerably, relative to the Baseline. Likewise, the 
design of the final fee schedule offers benefits relating to the three 
policy factors considered for setting individual fees as described in 
Part III of this final rule, namely, fostering innovation, facilitating 
effective administration of the patent system, and offering patent 
prosecution options to applicants. By maintaining the current fee 
setting philosophy of keeping front-end fees below the cost of 
application processing and recovering revenue from back-end fees, the 
final fee schedule continues to foster innovation and ease access to 
the patent system. The final fee schedule also continues to offer 
incentives and disincentives to engage in certain activities that 
facilitate effective administration of the patent system and help 
reduce the amount of time it takes to have a patent application 
examined. For example, application size fees, extension of time fees, 
and excess claims fees remain in place to facilitate the prompt 
conclusion of prosecution of an application. The final fee schedule 
likewise includes multipart and staged fees for RCEs, appeals, and 
contested cases, all of which aim to increase patent prosecution 
options for applicants. The qualitative benefits of the fee schedule 
design include new options for applicants to reduce their front-end 
costs for some services (e.g., appeals) until they have more 
information to determine the best prosecution option for their 
innovation. Lastly, shortening pendency reduces uncertainty regarding 
the claimed invention and scope of patent rights for patentees, 
competitors, and new entrants. Reducing uncertainty has a significant 
benefit in terms of clarity of patent rights, freedom to innovate, and 
the efficient operation of markets for technology.
    To assess the qualitative costs of the final fee schedule, the 
Office assessed the costs of its patent operations. The Office's cost 
of patent operations varies depending on the number of incoming patent 
applications and the amount of resources available. As discussed in 
Part IV. Fee Setting Methodology (see Step 1), the cost of operations 
included in this final rule also reduced slightly from that estimated 
in the NPRM. See Table 1.
    For FY 2013--FY 2015, the Office continues to project an annual 
increase in the number of serialized patent application filings, though 
the increases to some fees in the new fee structure may result in a 
slightly slower growth rate than that estimated under the Baseline. 
Nevertheless, the Office estimated that new patent application filings 
would return to the same annual growth rate anticipated in the absence 
of fee increases beginning in FY 2016. Overall, the demand for patent 
application services is generally inelastic (see USPTO Section 10 Fee 
Setting--Description of Elasticity Estimates,'' at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1), and even with 
these slight decreases, the total number of patent applications filed 
is projected to grow year-after-year. The Office considered the cost 
associated with this slight reduction in patent applications filed as a 
reduction to the benefit of the increased patent value when assessing 
the overall net benefit of the final fee schedule. See Table 1.
    Additional details describing the benefits and costs of the final 
fee schedule are available in the RIA at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1.

II. Legal Framework

A. Leahy-Smith America Invents Act--Section 10

    The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act was enacted into law on 
September 16, 2011. See Public Law 112-29, 125 Stat. 284. Section 10(a) 
of the Act authorizes the Director of the Office to set or adjust by 
rule any patent fee established, authorized, or charged under Title 35, 
U.S.C. for any services performed by, or

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materials furnished by, the Office. Fees under 35 U.S.C. may be set or 
adjusted only to recover the aggregate estimated cost to the Office for 
processing, activities, services, and materials related to patents, 
including administrative costs to the Office with respect to such 
patent operations. See 125 Stat. at 316. Provided that the fees in the 
aggregate achieve overall aggregate cost recovery, the Director may set 
individual fees under section 10 at, below, or above their respective 
cost. The Office's current fee structure includes statutory fees (set 
by Congress) that provide lower, below cost fees on the front end of 
the patent process (e.g., filing, searching, and examination fees), 
which are in turn balanced out by higher, above cost fees on the back 
end (i.e., issue and maintenance fees). This balance enables the Office 
to provide lower costs to enter the patent system, making it easier for 
inventors to pursue patents for their innovations, and these lower 
front-end fees are off-set by higher back-end fees. Congress set this 
balance when it established the existing statutory fee structure, and 
the Office continues to follow this model with the fee structure in 
this final rule, because a key policy consideration is to foster 
innovation by facilitating access to the patent system. Section 10(e) 
of the Act requires the Director to publish the final fee rule in the 
Federal Register and the Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark 
Office at least 45 days before the final fees become effective. Section 
10(i) terminates the Director's authority to prospectively set or 
adjust any fee under section 10(a) upon the expiration of the seven-
year period that began on September 16, 2011.

B. Small Entity Fee Reduction

    Section 10(b) of the AIA requires the Office to reduce by 50 
percent the fees for small entities that are set or adjusted under 
section 10(a) for filing, searching, examining, issuing, appealing, and 
maintaining patent applications and patents.

C. Micro Entity Fee Reduction

    Section 10(g) of the AIA amends Chapter 11 of Title 35, U.S.C. to 
add section 123 concerning micro entities. Section 10(b) of the Act 
requires the Office to reduce by 75 percent the fees for micro entities 
that are set or adjusted under Section 10(a) for filing, searching, 
examining, issuing, appealing, and maintaining patent applications and 
patents. In a separate rulemaking, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 123, the 
Office implemented the micro entity provisions of the AIA. See 77 FR 
75019 (Dec. 19, 2012).

D. Patent Public Advisory Committee Role

    The Secretary of Commerce established the Patent Public Advisory 
Committee (PPAC) under the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999. 
35 U.S.C. 5. The PPAC advises the Under Secretary of Commerce for 
Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on the management, 
policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees of patent 
operations.
    When adopting patent fees under section 10 of the Act, the Director 
must provide the PPAC with the proposed fees at least 45 days prior to 
publishing the proposed fees in the Federal Register. The PPAC then has 
at least 30 days within which to deliberate, consider, and comment on 
the proposal, as well as to hold public hearing(s) on the proposed 
fees. The PPAC must make a written report available to the public of 
the comments, advice, and recommendations of the committee regarding 
the proposed fees before the Office issues any final fees. The Office 
will consider and analyze any comments, advice, or recommendations 
received from the PPAC before finally setting or adjusting fees.
    Consistent with this framework, on February 7, 2012, the Director 
notified the PPAC of the Office's intent to set or adjust patent fees 
and submitted a preliminary patent fee proposal with supporting 
materials. The preliminary patent fee proposal and associated materials 
are available at https://www.uspto.gov/about/advisory/ppac/. The PPAC 
held two public hearings: one in Alexandria, Virginia, on February 15, 
2012, and another in Sunnyvale, California, on February 23, 2012. 
Transcripts of these hearings and comments submitted to the PPAC in 
writing are available for review at https://www.uspto.gov/about/advisory/ppac/.
    The PPAC submitted a written report on September 24, 2012, setting 
forth in detail the comments, advice, and recommendations of the 
committee regarding the proposed fees. The report is available for 
review at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1. 
The Office considered and analyzed the comments, advice, and 
recommendations received from the PPAC before publishing this final 
rule. The Office's response to the PPAC's report is available in the 
Discussion of Comments at Part VI of this rulemaking.

III. Rulemaking Goals and Strategies

    Consistent with the Office's goals and obligations under the AIA, 
the overall strategy of this rulemaking is to ensure that the fee 
schedule generates sufficient revenue to recover aggregate costs. 
Another strategy is to set individual fees to further key policy 
considerations while taking into account the cost of the particular 
service. As to the strategy of balancing aggregate revenue and 
aggregate cost, this rule will provide sufficient revenue for two 
significant USPTO goals: (1) Implement a sustainable funding model for 
operations; and (2) optimize patent timeliness and quality. As to the 
strategy of setting individual fees to further key policy 
considerations, the policy factors contemplated are: (1) Fostering 
innovation; (2) facilitating effective administration of the patent 
system; and (3) offering patent prosecution options to applicants.
    These fee schedule goals and strategies are consistent with 
strategic goals and objectives detailed in the USPTO 2010-2015 
Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) that is available at https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/USPTO_2010-2015_Strategic_Plan.pdf, as 
amended by Appendix 1 of the FY 2013 President's Budget, 
available at https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/budget/fy13pbr.pdf 
(collectively referred to herein as ``Strategic Goals''). The Strategic 
Plan defines the USPTO's mission and long-term goals and presents the 
actions the Office will take to realize those goals. The significant 
actions the Office describes in the Strategic Plan that are specific to 
the goals of this rulemaking are implementing a sustainable funding 
model, reducing the patent application backlog, decreasing patent 
application pendency, improving patent quality, and upgrading the 
Office's patent IT business capability and infrastructure.
    Likewise, the fee schedule goals and strategies also support the 
Strategy for American Innovation--an Administration initiative first 
released in September 2009, and updated in February 2011, that is 
available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/innovation/strategy. The 
Strategy for American Innovation recognizes innovation as the 
foundation of American economic growth and national competitiveness. 
Economic growth in advanced economies like the United States is driven 
by creating new and better ways of producing goods and services, a 
process that triggers new and productive investments, which is the 
cornerstone of economic growth. Achieving the Strategy for American 
Innovation depends, in part, on the USPTO's success in reducing the 
patent application backlog and in decreasing patent application 
pendency--both of which stall the delivery of innovative

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goods and services to market and impede economic growth and the 
creation of high-paying jobs. This rule positions the USPTO to reduce 
the patent application backlog and decrease patent application 
pendency.

A. Ensure the Overall Fee Schedule Generates Sufficient Revenue To 
Recover Aggregate Cost

    The first fee setting strategy is to ensure that the fee schedule 
generates sufficient aggregate revenue to recover the aggregate cost to 
maintain USPTO operations and accomplish USPTO strategic goals. Two 
overriding principles motivate the Office in this regard: (1) Operating 
with a more sustainable funding model than in the past to avoid 
disruptions caused by fluctuations in the economy; and (2) 
accomplishing strategic goals, including the imperatives of reducing 
the patent application backlog and decreasing patent application 
pendency. Each principle is discussed in greater detail below.
1. Implement a Sustainable Funding Model for Operations
    As explained in the Strategic Plan, the Office's objective of 
implementing a sustainable funding model for operations will facilitate 
USPTO's long-term operational and financial planning and enable the 
Office to adapt to changes in the economy and in operational workload.
    Since 1982, patent fees that generate most of the patent revenue 
(e.g., filing, search, examination, issue, and maintenance fees) have 
been set by statute, and the Office could adjust these fees only to 
reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban 
Consumers, as determined by the Secretary of Labor. Because these fees 
were set by statute, the USPTO could not realign or adjust them to 
quickly and effectively respond to market demand or changes in 
processing costs other than for the CPI. Over the years, these 
constraints led to funding variations and shortfalls. Section 10 of the 
AIA changed this fee adjustment model and authorized the USPTO to set 
or adjust patent fees within the regulatory process so that the Office 
will be better able to respond to its rapidly growing workload.
    The Budgets (see FY 2013 and FY 2014 President's Budget Requests at 
https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/budget/index.jsp) delineate the 
annual plans and prospective aggregate costs to execute the initiatives 
in the Strategic Plan. One of these costs is the growth of a three-
month patent operating reserve to allow effective management of the 
U.S. patent system and responsiveness to changes in the economy, 
unanticipated production workload, and revenue changes, while 
maintaining operations and effectuating long-term strategies. The 
Office evaluated the optimal size of the operating reserve by examining 
specific risk factors. There are two main factors that create a risk of 
volatility in patent operations--spending levels and revenue streams. 
After reviewing other organizations' operating reserves, the Office 
found that a fully fee-funded organization such as the USPTO should 
maintain a minimum of a three-month operating reserve. The fee schedule 
in this final rule will gradually build the three-month operating 
reserve. The USPTO will assess the patent operating reserve balance 
against its target balance annually and, at least every two years, will 
evaluate whether the target balance continues to be sufficient to 
provide the stability in funding needed by the Office. By implementing 
this fee schedule, the USPTO anticipates that the three-month patent 
operating reserve will be achieved in FY 2018.
    The fees in this final rule will provide the USPTO with sufficient 
aggregate revenue to recover the aggregate cost to operate the Office 
while improving the patent system. During FY 2013, patent operations 
will cost $2.479 billion after accounting for an offset to spending 
from other income of $23 million and a withdrawal from the operating 
reserve of $28 million. The final fee schedule should generate $2.479 
billion in aggregate revenue to offset these costs. Once the Office 
transitions to the fee levels set forth in this final rule, it 
estimates an additional $11.5 billion in aggregate revenue will be 
generated from FY 2014 through FY 2017 to recover the total aggregate 
cost over the same time period--$11.1 billion in operating costs and 
$0.4 billion in a three-month operating reserve. (See Table 3 in Part 
IV, Step 2 of this rule.)
    Under the new fee structure, as in the past, the Office will 
continue to regularly review its operating budgets and long-range plans 
to ensure that the USPTO uses patent fees prudently.
2. Optimize Patent Quality and Timeliness
    The Office developed the strategic goal of optimizing patent 
quality and timeliness in response to intellectual property (IP) 
community feedback, the Strategy for American Innovation, and in 
recognition that a sound, efficient, and effective IP system is 
essential for technological innovation and for patent holders to reap 
the benefits of patent protection.
    In past years, a steady increase in incoming patent applications 
and insufficient patent examiner hiring due to multi-year funding 
shortfalls has led to a large patent application backlog and long 
patent application pendency. Decreasing pendency increases the private 
value of a patent because the faster a patent is granted, the more 
quickly the patent owner can commercialize the innovation. Shorter 
pendency also allows for earlier disclosure of the scope of the patent, 
which reduces uncertainty for the patentee, potential competitors, and 
additional innovators regarding patent rights and the validity of the 
patentee's claims.
    To reduce the backlog and decrease patent application pendency, the 
USPTO must examine significantly more patent applications than it 
receives each year for the next several years. Bringing the 
applications in the backlog down to a manageable level, while at the 
same time keeping pace with the new patent applications expected to be 
filed each year, requires the Office to collect more aggregate revenue 
than it estimates that it will collect at existing fee rates. The 
Office needs this additional revenue to hire additional patent 
examiners, improve the patent business IT capability and 
infrastructure, and implement other programs to optimize the timeliness 
of patent examination. This final rule will result in an average first 
action patent application pendency of 10 months in FY 2016, an average 
total pendency of 20 months in FY 2017, and a reduced patent 
application backlog and inventory of approximately 335,000 patent 
applications by FY 2016. This would be a significant improvement over 
the 21.9 months and 32.4 months for average first action patent 
application pendency and average total pendency, respectively, at the 
end of FY 2012. Under this final rule, the patent application backlog 
is also expected to decrease significantly from the 608,300 
applications in inventory as of the end of FY 2012.
    In addition to timeliness of patent protection, the quality of 
application review is critical to ensure that the value of an issued 
patent is high. Quality issuance of patents provides certainty in the 
market and allows businesses and innovators to make informed and timely 
decisions on product and service development. Through this final rule, 
the Office will continue to improve patent quality through 
comprehensive training for new and experienced examiners, an expanded 
and enhanced ombudsmen program to help resolve questions about

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applications, improved hiring processes, and guidelines for examiners 
to address clarity issues in patent applications. The Office also will 
continue to encourage interviews between applicants and examiners to 
help clarify allowable subject matter early in the examination process 
and to encourage interviews later in prosecution to resolve outstanding 
issues. Lastly, the Office will continue to reengineer the examination 
process, and to monitor and measure examination using a comprehensive 
set of metrics that analyze the quality of the entire process.
    In addition to direct improvements to patent quality and 
timeliness, the USPTO's development and implementation of the patent 
end-to-end processing system using the revenue generated from this fee 
structure will improve the efficiency of the patent system. The IT 
architecture and systems in place currently are obsolete and difficult 
to maintain, leaving the USPTO highly vulnerable to disruptions in 
patent operations. Additionally, the current IT systems require patent 
employees and external stakeholders to perform labor-intensive business 
processes manually, decreasing the efficiency of the patent system. 
This final rule provides the Office with sufficient revenue to 
modernize its IT systems so that the majority of applications are 
submitted, handled, and prosecuted electronically. Improved automation 
will benefit both the Office and innovation community.

B. Set Individual Fees To Further Key Policy Considerations, While 
Taking Into Account the Costs of the Particular Service

    The second fee setting strategy is to set individual fees to 
further key policy considerations, while taking into account the cost 
of the associated service or activity. This fee schedule recovers the 
aggregate cost to the Office of operations, while also considering the 
individual cost of each service provided. This includes consideration 
that some applicants may use particular services in a more costly 
manner than other applicants (e.g., patent applications cost more to 
process when more claims are filed). The final fee schedule considers 
three key policy factors: (1) Fostering innovation; (2) facilitating 
effective administration of the patent system; and (3) offering patent 
prosecution options to applicants. The Office focused on these policy 
factors because each promotes particular aspects of the U.S. patent 
system. Fostering innovation is an important policy factor to ensure 
that access to the U.S. patent system is without significant barriers 
to entry, and innovation is incentivized by granting inventors certain 
short-term exclusive rights to stimulate additional inventive activity. 
Facilitating effective administration of the patent system is important 
to influence efficient patent prosecution, resulting in compact 
prosecution and a decrease in the time it takes to obtain a patent. In 
addition, the Office recognizes that patent prosecution is not a one-
size-fits-all process and therefore, where feasible, the Office 
endeavors to fulfill its third policy factor of offering patent 
prosecution options to applicants. Each of these policy factors is 
discussed in greater detail below.
1. Fostering Innovation
    To encourage innovators to take advantage of patent protection, the 
Office sets basic ``front-end'' fees (e.g., filing, search, and 
examination) below the actual cost of carrying out these activities. 
Likewise, consistent with the requirements in the Act, the Office 
provides fee reductions for small and micro entity innovators to 
facilitate access to the patent system. Setting front-end and small and 
micro entity fees below cost requires, however, that other fees be set 
above cost. To that end, the Office sets basic ``back-end'' fees (e.g., 
issue and maintenance) in excess of costs to recoup revenue not 
collected by front-end and small and micro entity fees. Charging higher 
back-end fees also fosters innovation and benefits the overall patent 
system. After a patent is granted, a patent owner is better positioned, 
as opposed to at the time of filing a patent application, to more 
closely assess the expected value of an invention, which is a 
consideration in determining whether to pay maintenance fees to keep 
the patent protecting the invention in force. Expiration of a patent 
makes the subject matter of the patent available in the public domain 
for subsequent commercialization. Determining the appropriate balance 
between front-end and back-end fees is a critical component of aligning 
the Office's costs and revenues.
2. Facilitating Effective Administration of the Patent System
    The fee structure in this final rule helps facilitate effective 
administration of the patent system by encouraging applicants or patent 
holders to engage in certain activities that facilitate an effective 
patent system. In particular, setting fees at the particular levels 
will: (1) Encourage the submission of applications or other actions 
that enable examiners to provide prompt, quality interim and final 
decisions; (2) encourage the prompt conclusion of prosecution of an 
application, which results in pendency reduction, faster dissemination 
of information, and certainty in patented inventions; and (3) help 
recover the additional costs imposed by some applicants' more intensive 
use of certain services that strain the patent system than other 
applicants.
3. Offering Patent Prosecution Options to Applicants
    The final fee schedule provides applicants with flexible and cost-
effective options for seeking patent protection. For example, the 
Office is setting multipart and staged fees for RCEs, appeals, and 
contested cases. The Office breaks the RCE fee into two parts. The fee 
for a first RCE is set more than 30 percent below cost to facilitate 
access to the service and in recognition that most applicants using 
RCEs only require one per application. The fee for a second and 
subsequent RCE is set only slightly below cost as an option for those 
who require multiple RCEs. Likewise, the staging of appeal fees allows 
applicants to pay less in situations when an application under appeal 
is either allowed or reopened rather than being forwarded to the Patent 
Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Finally, the establishment of multipart 
and staged fees for contested cases improves access to these 
proceedings while removing low quality patents from the patent system.
Summary of Rationale and Purpose of the Final Rule
    The final patent fee schedule will produce aggregate revenues to 
recover the aggregate costs of the USPTO, including for its management 
of strategic goals, objectives, and initiatives in FY 2013 and beyond. 
Using the two Strategic Plan goals (implementing a sustainable funding 
model for operations and optimizing patent quality and timeliness) as a 
foundation, the final rule provides sufficient aggregate revenue to 
recover the aggregate cost of patent operations, including implementing 
a sustainable funding model, reducing the current patent application 
backlog, decreasing patent application pendency, improving patent 
quality, and upgrading the patent business IT capability and 
infrastructure. Additionally, in this final rule, the Office considered 
individual fees by evaluating its historical cost (where available) and 
considering the policy factors of fostering innovation, facilitating 
effective administration of

[[Page 4217]]

the patent system, and offering patent prosecution options to 
applicants.

IV. Fee Setting Methodology

    As explained in the NPRM, there are three iterative and 
interrelated steps involved in developing the fees:
    Step 1: Determine the prospective aggregate costs of patent 
operations over the five-year period, including the cost of 
implementing new initiatives to achieve strategic goals and objectives.
    Step 2: Calculate the prospective revenue streams derived from the 
individual fee amounts (from Step 3) that will collectively recover the 
prospective aggregate cost over the five-year period.
    Step 3: Set or adjust individual fee amounts to collectively 
(through executing Step 2) recover projected aggregate cost over the 
five-year period, while furthering key policy considerations.
    A description of how the USPTO carries out these three steps is set 
forth in turn. Where key projections or inputs have changed since the 
NPRM, the Office explains the reasons underlying the revised estimates.

Step 1: Determine Prospective Aggregate Costs

    Calculating aggregate costs is accomplished primarily through the 
routine USPTO budget planning and formulation process. The Budget is a 
five-year plan (that the Office prepares and updates annually) for 
carrying out base programs and implementing the strategic goals and 
objectives.
    The first activity performed to determine prospective aggregate 
cost is to project the level of demand for patent products and 
services. Demand for products and services depends on many factors, 
including domestic and global economic activity. The USPTO also takes 
into account overseas patenting activities, policies and legislation, 
and known process efficiencies. Because examination costs are 
approximately 70 percent of the total patent operating cost, a primary 
production workload driver is the number of patent application filings 
(i.e., incoming work to the Office). The Office looks at indicators 
such as the expected growth in Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP), the 
leading indicator to incoming patent applications, to estimate 
prospective workload. RGDP is reported by the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (www.bea.gov), and is forecasted each February by the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) (www.omb.gov) in the Economic and Budget 
Analyses section of the Analytical Perspectives, and each January by 
the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) (www.cbo.gov) in the Budget and 
Economic Outlook. A description of the Office's methodology for using 
RGDP can be found in the section of the annual budget entitled, ``USPTO 
Fee Collection Estimates/Ranges.'' See annual budget available at 
https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/budget/index.jsp. The expected 
change in the required production workload must then be compared to the 
current examination production capacity to determine any required 
staffing and operating cost (e.g., salaries, workload processing 
contracts, and printing) adjustments. The Office uses a patent 
application pendency model that estimates patent production output 
based on actual historical data and input assumptions, such as incoming 
patent applications, examiner attrition rates, and overtime hours. An 
overview of the model and a simulation tool is available at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/stats/patent_pend_model.jsp. Further 
information, including a more detailed description of inputs, outputs, 
and key data relationships, is available from the Office upon request.
    The second activity is to calculate the aggregate costs to execute 
the requirements. In developing its annual budgets, the Office first 
looks at the cost of status quo operations (the base requirements). The 
base requirements (e.g., salaries for employees on-board) are adjusted 
for anticipated pay raises and inflationary increases for the periods 
FY 2013-FY 2017 (examples of the detailed calculations and assumptions 
for this adjustment to base are available in the annual Budgets). The 
Office then estimates the prospective cost for expected changes in 
production workload and new initiatives over the same period of time 
(refer to ``Program Changes by Sub-Activity'' sections of the Budget). 
The Office reduces cost estimates for completed initiatives and known 
cost savings expected over the same five-year horizon (see page 9 of 
the FY 2013 President's Budget). Finally, the Office estimates its 
three-month target operating reserve level based on this aggregate cost 
calculation for the year to determine if operating reserve adjustments 
are necessary.
    The estimate for the FY 2013 aggregate costs contained in this 
final rule ($2.479 billion) is $125 million less than the estimate 
contained in the NPRM ($2.604 billion). The Office lowered its 
aggregate cost estimate in response to public comments expressing a 
desire for the Office to achieve its goals over a longer timeframe and 
to incorporate additional efficiencies into operations. In some 
instances, the Office was also able to use more recent data. The most 
significant factors affecting the reduction in aggregate costs include: 
(1) Decreasing the amount deposited into the operating reserve as well 
as extending the timeframe for reaching the target amount of the 
operating reserve, and (2) lengthening the timeframe for achieving 
pendency goals and optimal inventory levels, and accounting for other 
changes related to operational costs and efficiencies. Each is 
discussed in turn.
    First, the Office decided to slow the growth of the operating 
reserve, as well as reduce the amount of fees deposited into the 
operating reserve during FY 2013, in response to public and PPAC 
comments. See response to PPAC Comment 6 and Public Comments 18 and 19. 
The Office is slowing the growth of the operating reserve due to a 
reduction in aggregate revenue, as explained in more detail in Step 2, 
below. In the NPRM, the Office estimated reaching a target operating 
reserve level of three months in FY 2017. In this final rule, the 
adjustments to aggregate revenue and fee amounts have slowed the pace 
for reaching the three month operating reserve target to beyond the 
five-year planning period (approximately FY 2018). (See PPAC Comments 
6, 7, 11, 14, 16, and 23; and Public Comments 2, 18, 41, 42, 43, and 45 
for additional information). When estimating aggregate costs for the 
NPRM, the Office planned to deposit $73 million in the operating 
reserve in FY 2013. In the updated estimate of aggregate costs 
calculated for this final rule, the Office plans to use $28 million of 
operating reserve funds in FY 2013. The net change of activity results 
in a decrease of aggregate costs associated with the operating reserve 
of $101 million.
    The Office is using funds from the operating reserve in FY 2013 due 
to two main components of aggregate cost--an increase in the cost of 
existing base requirements and the timing of implementing the fees 
included in the final rule. As discussed in more detail below, the 
Office experienced historically low examiner attrition rates (the rate 
at which examiners left the Office). This lower than planned attrition 
rate resulted in additional higher paid examiners on board during FY 
2013, increasing the aggregate cost of base requirements of patent 
examination (existing examiners on board). Additionally, the Office 
will publish this final rule one month later than originally 
anticipated in the NPRM (April instead of March 2013). This later 
publication date reduces the amount of revenue originally estimated to 
be

[[Page 4218]]

collected during FY 2013. Further, the Office anticipates a ``bubble'' 
of fee payments paid at the current fee rates, prior to the effective 
date of the fees in this final rule. This ``bubble'' is typical in 
years with fee changes. Therefore, these situations require the Office 
to use the operating reserve in FY 2013, whereas in FY 2014 through FY 
2017, the Office estimates it will deposit funds in the operating 
reserve.
    Second, many public comments and the PPAC report strongly urged the 
Office to achieve the 10 month first action patent application pendency 
and the 20 month total patent application pendency goals more gradually 
than proposed, and to achieve a ``soft landing'' to reach the optimal 
patent application inventory and workforce levels at a slower rate than 
proposed. See PPAC Comment 7 and Public Comment 2. During FY 2012, the 
Office examined more patent applications than it initially anticipated, 
in part because of historically low attrition rates. In the NPRM, the 
Office anticipated an attrition of 5.8 percent in FY 2013, but in the 
final rule, the Office now anticipates an attrition rate of 4.0 percent 
in FY 2013 (the same attrition rate the Office experienced in FY 2012).
    In response to comments and to capitalize on the historically low 
attrition rates, the Office is recalibrating its examination capacity 
during the five-year planning period of this final rule by reducing the 
number of examiners that are hired, increasing the amount of overtime 
allotted for production, and hiring more experienced examiners. Instead 
of planning to hire 1,500 patent examiners in FY 2013 (as the NPRM 
estimated), the Office now plans to hire 1,000 patent examiners in FY 
2013. The Office also reevaluated its hiring plans in FY 2013 to 
include hiring more patent examiners with greater IP experience and 
knowledge, thus making this smaller number of hires more productive 
sooner than originally expected. This recalibration results in a more 
costly examiner production capacity (because the more experienced hires 
are paid a higher salary) in the beginning (FY 2013 and FY 2014) of the 
five-year planning period when comparing the net operating requirements 
(see Table 3) per production unit (see Table 2) in the final rule to 
that in the NPRM. However, as the Office begins reaping the benefits of 
the overtime and hiring recalibration, the examiner production capacity 
begins to cost less in FY 2015, so that the total net operating cost 
per production unit over the five-year planning period is less in the 
final rule than in the NPRM. For example, in FY 2013, the net operating 
requirements per production unit are approximately $4,200 in this final 
rule ($2.507 billion divided by 596,200 production units) compared to 
approximately $4,100 in the NPRM. In FY 2015, the net operating 
requirements per production unit are approximately $4,020 in this final 
rule ($2.779 billion divided by 691,300 production units) compared to 
approximately $4,046 in the NPRM. This initial increase in aggregate 
cost is necessary to establish the examination capacity needed to 
achieve the ``soft landing'' referred to in the comments from the PPAC 
and the public.
    The ``soft landing'' is evident when looking at the more gradual 
increase in production units over four years (596,200 in FY 2013 
increasing to 698,500 in FY 2016) in this final rule (see Table 2) 
compared to the rapid increase in the NPRM over three years (620,600 in 
FY 2013 increasing to 694,200 in FY 2015). Also, maintaining fewer 
examiners on board throughout and at the end of the five-year planning 
horizon (7,800 in FY 2017 in the final rule compared to 8,200 in FY 
2017 in the NPRM) permits the Office to use production overtime as a 
lever to arrive at the future ``soft landing'' when evaluating actual 
inputs impacting the production modeling (application filing levels, 
examiner attrition rates, and production levels).
    While the examination costs marginally increase in the early years 
due to the higher cost of base examination capacity (because the Office 
has greater expenses associated with having more examiners than 
initially projected from lower attrition rates and more experienced 
examiners), the Office has more than offset this increase by reducing 
patent operational costs in other areas such as deferring slightly some 
IT investment plans and leveraging operational efficiencies, consistent 
with public comments and a routine annual review and update of the 
patent operating and budget plans. See PPAC Comment 7 and Public 
Comment 2. In addition, in the time between the publication of the NPRM 
and the formulation of this final rule, additional information 
concerning key inputs to the patent application pendency model became 
available, so the Office revised certain projections as discussed 
below.
    For example, after reviewing FY 2012 filing data and RGDP 
information available after the NPRM published (see Step 2: Calculate 
Prospective Aggregate Revenue), the Office lowered its estimates for 
the level of demand of patent products and services (application filing 
levels). In the NPRM, the Office projected a growth rate of 6.0 percent 
in FY 2013-FY 2014; 5.5 percent in FY 2015-FY 2016; and 5.0 percent in 
FY 2017. Based on actual filing data from FY 2012, the Office now 
believes that a projected growth rate of 5.0 percent for each of FY 
2013-FY 2017 is appropriate in this final rule. This means that 
examiner production capacity and aggregate costs are reduced because 
somewhat fewer patent applications are projected to be filed, and the 
work associated with those applications is less, as compared to the 
NRPM projections.
    Many of the key inputs affecting lower aggregate costs and revenue 
are summarized in Table 2.

                        Table 2--Patent Production Workload Projections--FY 2013-FY 2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Utility, Plant, and Reissue
              (UPR)                   FY 2013         FY 2014         FY 2015         FY 2016         FY 2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applications *..................         558,900         586,800         616,200         647,000         679,300
Growth Rate **..................            5.0%            5.0%            5.0%            5.0%            5.0%
Production Units................         596,200         655,200         691,300         698,500         641,300
End of Year Backlog.............         566,800         486,500         398,900         334,300         358,500
Examination Capacity **.........           8,500           8,400           8,200           8,000           7,800
Performance Measures (UPR):
    Avg. First Action Pendency              18.0            15.8            12.9            10.5            10.0
     (Months)...................
    Avg. Total Pendency (Months)            30.1            26.1            23.7            21.0            18.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* In this table, the patent application filing data includes requests for continued examination (RCEs).
** In this table, demand for patent examination services, which is used to calculate aggregate cost, is not
  adjusted for price elasticity.


[[Page 4219]]

    Overall, the Office estimates that during FY 2013, patent 
operations will cost $2.530 billion, including $1.761 billion for 
patent examination activities; $340 million for IT systems, support, 
and infrastructure contributing to patent operations; $58 million for 
activities related to patent appeals and the new AIA inter partes 
dispute actions; $48 million for activities related to IP protection, 
policy, and enforcement; and $323 million for general support costs 
necessary for patent operations (e.g., rent, utilities, legal, 
financial, human resources, and other administrative services). In 
addition, the Office estimates collecting $23 million in other income 
associated with reimbursable agreements (offsets to spending) and using 
$28 million from the operating reserve during FY 2013 to sustain 
operations. Detailed descriptions of operating requirements are located 
in the USPTO annual budgets (see https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/budget/index.jsp). Table 2 above provides key underlying production 
workload projections and assumptions used to calculate aggregate cost. 
Table 3 presents the total budgetary requirements (prospective 
aggregate cost) for FY 2013 through FY 2017.

                                   Table 3--Estimated Annual Aggregate Costs and Final Fee Schedule Aggregate Revenues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                             (In millions)
                                                           -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                FY 2013         FY 2014         FY 2015         FY 2016         FY 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aggregate Cost Estimate:
    Planned Operating Requirements........................          $2,530          $2,739          $2,802          $2,852          $2,815
        Less Other Income *...............................            (23)            (23)            (23)            (23)            (23)
Net Operating Requirements................................           2,507           2,716           2,779           2,829           2,792
Planned Deposit in Operating Reserve......................            (28)              90              92              98             117
        Total Aggregate Cost Estimate.....................           2,479           2,806           2,871           2,927           2,909
Aggregate Revenue Estimate **.............................           2,479           2,806           2,871           2,927           2,909
Cumulative Operating Reserve Balance......................
    Target Operating Reserve..............................             633             685             701             713             704
    Operating Reserve Ending FY 2012 Balance $112.........              84             174             266             364             481
    Over/(Under) Target Balance***........................           (549)           (511)           (435)           (349)           (223)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Office collects other income associated with reimbursable agreements (offsets to spending) and recoveries of funds obligated in prior years in the
  amount of approximately $23 million each year.
** The proposed fee schedule will generate less revenue compared to the FY 2013 President's Budget in an effort to slow the growth of the operating
  reserve over the next five years.
*** The Office estimates that it will meet the three-month operating reserve target in FY 2018.

Step 2: Calculate Prospective Aggregate Revenue

    As described in Step 1, the USPTO's annual requirements-based 
budgets include the aggregate prospective cost of planned production, 
new initiatives, and an operating reserve planned for the Office to 
realize its strategic goals and objectives for the next five years. The 
aggregate prospective cost becomes the target aggregate revenue level 
that the new fee schedule must generate in a given year and over the 
five-year planning horizon. The estimate for the FY 2013 aggregate 
revenue contained in this final rule ($2.479 billion) is $125 million 
less than the estimate contained in the NPRM ($2.604 billion). As 
discussed in more detail in Step 1, the Office has lowered its 
aggregate cost estimate in response to public comments expressing a 
desire for the Office to achieve its goals over a longer timeframe and 
to incorporate additional efficiencies into operations. This reduction 
in aggregate costs requires a corresponding reduction in aggregate 
revenue. The most significant factors affecting the reduction in 
aggregate revenues include: (1) Decreasing fee amounts (see PPAC 
Comments 6, 7, 11, 14, 16, and 23; and Public Comments 2, 18, 41, 42, 
43, and 45 for additional information); (2) publishing this final rule 
one month later than originally anticipated in the NPRM (April instead 
of March 2013) and thereby reducing the amount of revenue originally 
estimated to be collected during FY 2013; and (3) lengthening the 
timeframe for achieving pendency goals and optimal inventory levels 
(see Step 1, above for additional information). Following is a 
discussion of the methodology used to calculate aggregate revenue.
    As explained in the NPRM, to calculate the aggregate revenue 
estimates, the Office first analyzes relevant factors and indicators to 
determine prospective fee workload volumes (e.g., number of 
applications and requests for services and products) for the five-year 
planning horizon. Economic activity is an important consideration when 
developing workload and revenue forecasts for the USPTO's products and 
services because economic conditions affect patenting activity, as most 
recently exhibited in the recession of 2009 when incoming workloads and 
renewal rates declined.
    Major economic indicators include the overall condition of the U.S. 
and global economies, spending on research and development activities, 
and investments that lead to the commercialization of new products and 
services. The most relevant economic indicator that the Office uses is 
the RGDP, which is the broadest measure of economic activity. RGDP 
growth is factored into estimates of patent application levels. RGDP is 
anticipated to grow approximately three percent for FY 2013 based on 
OMB and CBO estimates provided in February and January of 2012, 
respectively. CBO prepared updated economic guidance in August 2012, 
temporarily altering its projection methodology to reflect heightened 
uncertainty over fiscal policy conditions and concerns. The August 2012 
CBO estimates envision various economic scenarios instead of a single 
point estimate as CBO typically prepared. Nonetheless, the Office made 
calculations based on CBO's August 2012 estimates and they had a 
negligible impact on forecasts of the Office's workloads given the +/- 
5 percent outer bounds discussed below.
    Economic indicators also provide insight into market conditions and 
the management of IP portfolios, which influence application processing 
requests and post-issuance decisions to maintain patent protection. 
When developing fee workload forecasts, the Office considers other 
influential factors including overseas activity, policies and 
legislation, process efficiencies, and anticipated applicant behavior.

[[Page 4220]]

    The Office's methodology to estimate aggregate revenue was updated 
to consider two new elements related setting and adjusting fees using 
the new section 10 fee setting authority. The first includes 
adjustments to fee workload estimates as a result of changes in demand 
for services. In the past, fees that comprise a majority of the 
Office's aggregate revenue (e.g., filing, search, examination, issue, 
and maintenance) were adjusted based on minimal CPI increases. In this 
rule, the Office is both increasing and decreasing fees by amounts 
larger than it experienced with CPI increases in the past. Therefore, 
the Office considered impacts of applicant and patentee behavior in 
response to the fee changes. The second incorporates the new discount 
for micro entity applicants and patentees. The introduction of the new 
micro entity fees required the Office to estimate how many small entity 
applicants and patentees would pay fees at micro entity rates. Each of 
these elements is discussed in turn below.
Elasticity and Application Filing Levels
    The economic indicators discussed previously correlate with patent 
application filings, which, with adjustments for elasticity, are a key 
driver of patent fees. As discussed previously, in the NPRM, the Office 
projected an application filing growth rate of 6.0 percent in FY 2013--
FY 2014, 5.5 percent in FY 2015--FY 2016, and 5.0 percent in FY 2017. 
After reviewing actual FY 2012 filing data and other economic 
indicators discussed herein, the Office lowered its estimates for the 
level of demand of patent products and services (application filing 
levels). The Office now believes that a projected growth rate of 5.0 
percent for each of FY 2013--FY 2017 is appropriate in this final rule.
    The Office also considered how applicant behavior in response to 
fee (price) changes included in this final rule would impact the 
application filing demand referenced above. Anticipated applicant 
behavior in response to fee changes is measured using an economic 
principle known as elasticity which for the purpose of this action 
means how sensitive applicants and patentees are to fee amounts or 
price changes. If elasticity is low enough (i.e., demand is inelastic), 
when fees increase, patent activities will decrease only slightly in 
response thereto, and overall revenues will still increase. Conversely, 
if elasticity is high enough (i.e., demand is elastic), when fees 
increase, patenting activities will decrease significantly enough in 
response thereto such that overall revenues will decrease. When 
developing fee forecasts, the Office accounts for how applicant 
behavior will change at different fee amounts projected for the various 
patent services. Additional detail about the Office's elasticity 
estimates is available in ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Description 
of Elasticity Estimates,'' at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1. Some of the information on which the Office based 
its elasticity estimates are copyrighted materials and are available 
for inspection at the USPTO.
    Using the information contained in the ``Description of Elasticity 
Estimates'' document, the Office estimated that 1.3 percent fewer new 
(serialized) applications than the number estimated to be filed in the 
absence of a fee increase would be filed during FY 2013 as patent 
filers adjusted to the new fees, specifically the increase in the total 
filing, search, and examination fees for most applicants. The Office 
further estimated that 2.7 percent fewer new patent applications would 
be filed during FY 2014, and 4.0 percent fewer new patent applications 
would be filed during FY 2015. However, the Office estimated that new 
(serialized) patent application filings would return to the same annual 
growth rate anticipated in the absence of a fee increase beginning in 
FY 2016. Overall, the demand for patent application services is 
generally inelastic, and even with these slight decreases, the total 
aggregate revenue received from patent applications filed is projected 
to grow year-after-year.
Micro Entity Applicants
    The introduction of a new class of applicants, called micro 
entities, requires a change to aggregate revenue estimations, and the 
Office refined its workload and fee collection estimates to include 
this new applicant class. See 35 U.S.C. 123; see also Changes to 
Implement Micro Entity Status for Paying Patent Fees, 77 FR 75019 (Dec. 
19, 2012). 35 U.S.C. 123, which sets forth the requirements that must 
be met in order for an applicant to claim the micro entity discount, 
provides two bases under which an applicant may establish micro entity 
status.
    First, section 123(a) provides that the term ``micro entity'' means 
an applicant who makes a certification that the applicant: (1) 
Qualifies as a small entity as defined in 37 CFR 1.27; (2) has not been 
named as an inventor on more than four previously filed patent 
applications, other than applications filed in another country, 
provisional applications under 35 U.S.C. 111(b), or international 
applications for which the basic national fee under 35 U.S.C. 41(a) was 
not paid (except for applications resulting from prior employment as 
defined in section 123(b)); (3) did not, in the calendar year preceding 
the calendar year in which the applicable fee is being paid, have a 
gross income exceeding three times the median household income for that 
preceding calendar year; and (4) has not assigned, granted, or 
conveyed, and is not under an obligation by contract or law to assign, 
grant, or convey, a license or other ownership interest in the 
application concerned to an entity that had a gross income exceeding 
the income limit described in (3).
    Second, 35 U.S.C. 123(d) provides that a micro entity also shall 
include an applicant who certifies that: (1) The applicant's employer, 
from which the applicant obtains the majority of the applicant's 
income, is an institution of higher education as defined in section 
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)); or (2) 
the applicant has assigned, granted, conveyed, or is under an 
obligation by contract or law, to assign, grant, or convey, a license 
or other ownership interest in the particular applications to such an 
institution of higher education.
    The Office revised the rules of practice in patent cases to 
implement these micro entity provisions of the Leahy-Smith America 
Invents Act in a separate rulemaking. See 77 FR 75019 (Dec. 19, 2012).
    The Office estimates that when micro entity discounts on patent 
fees are available, 31 percent of small entity applications will be 
micro entity applications, under the criteria set forth in section 
123(a) and (d). In making this estimate, the Office considered several 
factors, including historical data on patents granted. The Office began 
with patent grant data, because the best available biographic data on 
applicant type (e.g., independent inventor and domestic universities) 
comes from patent grant data in the Office's database. A series of 
computations led to the estimate that 31 percent of small entity 
applicants will be micro entities. The first set of computations 
estimated the number of persons who would qualify for micro entity 
status under Section 123(a). The Office began by estimating the number 
of individuals who were granted patents in FY 2011. There were 221,350 
utility patents granted in FY 2011 as reported in the FY 2011 USPTO 
Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). The PAR is available for 
review at https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/ar/2011/index.jsp. The 
Office's Patent Technology Monitoring Team (PTMT) provides data showing 
the split between

[[Page 4221]]

domestic and foreign patent grants. (It should be noted that PTMT's 
data is based on the calendar year not the fiscal year.) PTMT's data is 
available at https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/all_tech.htm#PartA1_1b. From this data, the Office found that 5.0 percent 
of utility patents granted in FY 2011 were granted to individuals in 
the United States and 1.9 percent were granted to individuals from 
other countries. These figures refer to patents where the individuals 
were not listed in the USPTO database as associated with a company. 
These individuals would likely meet the criteria under section 
123(a)(1) (small entity status). Using this information, the Office 
estimates that individuals in the United States received 11,068 utility 
patents (221,350 times 5.0 percent) in FY 2011, and that individuals 
from other countries received 4,206 utility patents (221,350 times 1.9 
percent). In total, the Office estimates that 15,274 (11,068 plus 
4,206) patents were granted to individuals in FY 2011.
    Concerning the micro entity threshold in 35 U.S.C. 123(a)(2), the 
Office's Patent Application Locating and Monitoring (PALM) database 
reports that 62 percent of both foreign and domestic small entity 
applicants filed fewer than 5 applications in FY 2009. As stated above, 
an estimated 15,274 patent grants were to individuals both domestic 
(11,068) and foreign (4,206). Using this information, the Office 
estimates that 6,862 (11,068 times 62 percent) patents will be granted 
to domestic applicants who meet the thresholds for micro entity status 
set forth in sections 123(a)(1) and 123(a)(2), while 2,608 (4,206 times 
62 percent) patents will be granted to foreign applicants who meet the 
same thresholds.
    Concerning the income threshold in 35 U.S.C. 123(a)(3), the median 
household income for calendar year (CY) 2011 (the year most recently 
reported by the Bureau of the Census) was $50,054. See Income, Poverty, 
and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011, at 5 and 33 
(Table A-1) (Sept. 2012) available at https://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdf. (The Office will indicate conspicuously on its 
Web site the median household income reported by the Bureau of the 
Census and the income level that is three times the median household 
income for the calendar year most recently reported.) Thus, the income 
level specified in 35 U.S.C. 1.29(a)(3) and (a)(4) (three times the 
median household income) is $150,162.
    The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records show that in 2009 about 
97 percent of individuals (as proxied by the total number of IRS form 
filings) reported adjusted gross income of less than $200,000, and 
about 87 percent of individuals reported adjusted gross income of less 
than $100,000. See Table 1.1 at: https://www.irs.gov/taxstats/indtaxstats/article/0,,id=96981,00.html. Using this information, the 
Office estimates that 6,656 (6,862 times 97 percent) of patents granted 
to individuals from the U.S. will be for individuals under the gross 
income threshold of the micro entity definition ($150,162 for CY 2011). 
The Office uses 97 percent as the best available estimate of the 
maximum number of individuals who satisfy the income limit. Median 
household income and gross income levels are not readily available for 
the country of origin for all foreign individuals. Therefore, the 
Office conservatively estimates that all foreign individuals will 
satisfy the income requirements for micro entity fee reductions, and 
that income alone should not limit their eligibility. Using the best 
available data, as presented above, the Office estimates that the total 
number of individuals who meet the thresholds set forth in 35 U.S.C. 
123(a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(3) is 9,264 (6,656 from the United States 
and 2,608 foreign).
    The 9,264 figure represents a reasonable approximation of the 
number of patents granted annually to persons who would qualify as 
micro entities under section 123(a). There is no data available to 
indicate how many persons would be excluded under section 123(a)(4) 
based upon an assignment, grant, or conveyance or an obligation to 
grant, assign, or convey to an entity with income exceeding the limit 
in section 123(a)(3). However, the Office's approach with the other 
components of section 123(a) is sufficiently conservative to mitigate 
the risks of not capturing this population. Likewise, while a small 
company could qualify as a micro entity under section 123(a), the above 
calculation of individuals represents a reasonable overall 
approximation because the estimate of affected individuals is 
sufficiently conservative.
    Turning to 35 U.S.C. 123(d), the most recent data available on 
university patent grants is from CY 2008. Reviewing the data from CY 
2001-CY 2008, the Office estimates that domestic universities account 
for approximately 1.9 percent of all patent grants. The Office is using 
this figure as a reasonable approximation for the number of micro 
entity applicants expected under section 123(d), which covers 
applicants who are employed by universities or who have assigned their 
invention to a university. Applying this information to FY 2011, the 
Office estimates that universities received 4,206 (221,350 times 1.9 
percent) of the patents granted in FY 2011. The data on university 
patent grants is available at: https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/univ/asgn/table_1_2008.htm.
    To combine 123(a) and 123(d), the Office adds the estimated number 
of patents granted that could meet the micro entity definition for 
individuals (9,264) and for university grants (4,206) to obtain a total 
of 13,470 patent grants. The Office divides 13,470 micro entity patents 
by the 43,827 small entity patents in FY 2011 (per the Office's PALM 
database) to calculate that approximately 31 percent of small entity 
patents will be micro entity patents. The Office expects a uniform 
distribution of micro entities across all application types. No data 
exists to suggest otherwise. Likewise, the Office applies the 31 
percent estimate to both filings and grants because the Office expects 
a uniform distribution of micro entities among both applicants and 
patentees, and no data exists to suggest otherwise. Thus, the Office 
estimates that 31 percent of all small entity applicants will qualify 
as micro entity applicants.
    In recent years, small entity applicants made up approximately 25 
percent of utility filings and 20 percent of utility patent grants (per 
the PALM database). Given that utility filings are the largest category 
of application types, for forecasting purposes, the Office uses utility 
filing data as representative of the universe of patent application 
filings. Applying the 31 percent estimate for the number of micro 
entities, the Office estimates that micro entities will account for 7.8 
percent (25 percent times 31 percent) of all filings, and 6.2 percent 
(20 percent times 31 percent) of all grants. The Office used these 
estimates (7.8 percent and 6.2 percent) to calculate the portion of fee 
workloads (e.g., number of application filings, patent issues, and 
maintenance fees paid) that should be multiplied by the new micro 
entity fee amounts to include in the estimate for aggregate revenue.
Aggregate Revenue Estimate Ranges
    When calculating aggregate revenue, the USPTO prepares a high-to-
low range of fee collection estimates that includes a +/- 5 percent 
outer bounds to account for: the inherent uncertainty, sensitivity, and 
volatility of predicting fluctuations in the economy and market 
environment; interpreting policy and

[[Page 4222]]

process efficiencies; and developing fee workload and fee collection 
estimates from assumptions. The Office used 5 percent because 
historically the Office's actual revenue collections have typically 
been within 5 percent of the projected revenue. Additional detail about 
the Office's aggregate revenue, including projected workloads by fee, 
is available in ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Aggregate Revenue 
Estimates Alternative 1: Proposed Alternative--Set and Adjust Section 
10 Fees'' available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp.
Summary
    Patent fees are collected for patent-related services and products 
at different points in time within the patent application examination 
process and over the life of the pending patent application and granted 
patent. Approximately half of all patent fee collections are from issue 
and maintenance fees, which subsidize filing, search, and examination 
activities. Changes in application filing levels immediately impact 
current year fee collections, because fewer patent application filings 
means the Office collects fewer fees to devote to production-related 
costs, such as additional examining staff and overtime. The resulting 
reduction in production activities creates an out-year revenue impact 
because less production output in one year results in fewer issue and 
maintenance fee payments in future years.
    The USPTO's five-year estimated aggregate patent fee revenue (see 
``Aggregate Revenue Estimate'' in Table 3) is based on the number of 
patent applications it expects to receive for a given fiscal year, work 
it expects to process in a given fiscal year (an indicator for workload 
of patent issue fees), expected examination and process requests for 
the fiscal year, and the expected number of post-issuance decisions to 
maintain patent protection over that same fiscal year. Within the 
iterative process for estimating aggregate revenue, the Office adjusts 
individual fees up or down based on cost and policy decisions (see Step 
3: Set Specific Fee Amounts), estimates the effective dates of new fee 
rates, and then multiplies the resulting fees by appropriate workload 
volumes to calculate a revenue estimate for each fee.
    To calculate the aggregate revenue, the Office assumes that all new 
fee rates will be effective on April 1, 2013, except for the following 
fee changes which will be effective on January 1, 2014: Sec.  
1.18(a)(1), (b)(1), (c)(1), and (d)(1) (patent issue and publication 
fees); Sec.  1.21(h)(1) (fee for recording a patent assignment 
electronically); Sec.  1.482(a)(1)(i)(A), (a)(1)(ii)(A), and (a)(2)(i) 
(international application filing, processing and search fees); and 
fees included in Sec.  1.445(a)(1)(i)(A), (a)(2)(i), (a)(3)(i), and 
(a)(4)(i) (international application transmittal and search fees). 
Using these figures, the USPTO sums the individual fee revenue 
estimates, and the result is a total aggregate revenue estimate for a 
given year (see Table 3).

Step 3: Set Specific Fee Amounts

    Once the Office finalizes the annual requirements and aggregate 
prospective costs for a given year during the budget formulation 
process, the Office sets specific fee amounts that, together, will 
derive the aggregate revenue required to recover the estimated 
aggregate prospective costs during that timeframe. Calculating 
individual fees is an iterative process that encompasses many 
variables. The historical cost estimates associated with individual 
fees is one variable that the USPTO considers to inform fee setting. 
The Office's Activity-Based Information (ABI) provides historical cost 
for an organization's activities and outputs by individual fee using 
the activity-based costing (ABC) methodology. ABC is commonly used for 
fee setting throughout the Federal Government. Additional information 
about the methodology, including the cost components related to 
respective fees, is available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1 in the document titled ``USPTO 
Section 10 Fee Setting--Activity-Based Information and Costing 
Methodology.'' The USPTO provides data for FY 2009--FY 2011 because the 
Office finds that reviewing the trend of ABI historical cost 
information is the most useful way to inform fee setting. The 
underlying ABI data are available for public inspection at the USPTO.
    When the Office implements a new process or service, historical ABI 
data is typically not available. However, the Office will use the 
historical cost of a similar process or procedure as a starting point 
to calculate the cost of a new activity or service. For example, as 
described in the final rulemaking for supplemental examination, the 
Office used the ABI historical cost for ex parte reexamination 
procedures as a starting point for calculating the prospective cost to 
implement the new supplemental examination procedures. See Changes to 
Implement the Supplemental Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith 
America Invents Act and To Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 48828 (Aug. 
14, 2012).
    In other cases, ABI historical cost information related to similar 
processes is not available, and the Office estimates cost by 
calculating the resources necessary to execute the new process. To do 
so, the Office estimates the amount of time (in hours) and necessary 
skill level to complete an activity. The USPTO then multiplies the 
estimated amount of time by the hourly wage(s) of the persons required 
at each skill level and adds the administrative and indirect cost rates 
(derived from ABI historical cost data) to this base cost estimate to 
calculate the full cost of the activity. One-time costs, such as IT, 
training, or facilities costs, are added to the full cost estimate to 
obtain the total cost of providing the new process or service. Lastly, 
the USPTO applies a rate of inflation to estimate the prospective unit 
cost. For example, the Office used this methodology to calculate the 
costs associated with the new inter partes and post-grant review 
processes. See Changes to Implement Inter Partes Review Proceedings, 
Post-Grant Review Proceedings, and Transitional Program for Covered 
Business Method Patents, 77 FR 48680 (Aug. 14, 2012).
    Besides using cost data as a point of reference for setting 
individual fee amounts, the USPTO also uses various policy factors 
discussed in Part III. Rulemaking Goals and Strategies to inform fee 
setting. Fees are set to allow the Office to recover its aggregate 
costs, while furthering key policy considerations. The following 
section describes the rationale for setting fee rates at specific 
amounts.

V. Individual Fee Rationale

    The Office projects the aggregate revenue generated from the patent 
fees will recover the prospective aggregate cost of its patent 
operations. However, each individual fee is not necessarily set equal 
to the estimated cost of performing the activities related to the fee. 
Instead, as described in Part III. Rulemaking Goals and Strategies, 
some of the fees are set to balance several key policy factors: 
fostering innovation, facilitating effective administration of the 
patent system, and offering patent prosecution options to applicants. 
As also described in Part III, executing these policy factors in the 
patent fee schedule is consistent with the Strategy for American 
Innovation and the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan. 
Once the key policy factors are considered, fees are set at, above, or 
below individual cost recovery levels for the activity or service 
provided.

[[Page 4223]]

    For the purpose of discussing the changes in this rule, the 
rationale for setting or adjusting individual fees are grouped into two 
major categories: (1) Fees where large entity amounts changed from the 
current amount by greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars 
(described below in section (B)); and (2) fees where large entity 
amounts stayed the same or did not change by greater than plus or minus 
5 percent and 10 dollars (described below in section (C)). The purpose 
of the categorization is to identify large fee changes for the reader 
and provide an individual fee rationale for such changes. The 
categorization is based on changes in large entity fee amounts because 
percentage changes for small entity fees that are in place today would 
be the same as the percentage change for the large entity, and the 
dollar change would be half of that of the large entity change. 
Therefore, there will never be an instance where the small entity fee 
change meets the greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars 
criteria and a large entity fee change does not.
    The ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Table of Patent Fee Changes'' 
is available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp and 
the tables in Part VI. The table of patent fee changes presents the 
current fees for large and small entities and the final fees for large, 
small, and micro entities. The table also includes the dollar and 
percent changes between current fees and final fees for large entity 
fees only as well as the FY 2011, FY 2010, and FY 2009 unit costs. The 
Discussion of Specific Rules in this rulemaking contains a complete 
listing of fees that are set or adjusted in this patent fee schedule.

A. Discounts for Small and Micro Entity Applicants

    The fees described below include discounts for small and micro 
entity applicants as required by section 10. The current small entity 
discount scheme changes when fees are set in accordance with section 
10. That is, section 10(a) provides that the USPTO can set or adjust 
``any fee established, authorized or charged under'' Title 35, U.S.C., 
and section 10(b) of the Act provides that fees set or adjusted under 
section 10(a) authority for ``filing, searching, examining, issuing, 
appealing, and maintaining patent applications and patents'' will be 
reduced by 50 percent for small entities and 75 percent for micro 
entities. A small entity is defined in 35 U.S.C. 41(h)(1), and a micro 
entity is defined in 35 U.S.C. 123.
    Currently, the small entity discount is only available for 
statutory fees provided under 35 U.S.C. 41(a), (b), and (d)(1). Section 
10(b) extends the discount to some patent fees not contained in 35 
U.S.C. 41(a), (b), and (d)(1). Thus, in this final rule, the Office 
applies the discount to a number of fees that currently do not receive 
the small entity discount. There is only one fee for which a small 
entity discount is currently offered that is ineligible for a small 
entity discount under the final fee schedule: the fee for a statutory 
disclaimer under 37 CFR 1.20(d). This fee is currently $160 for a large 
entity and $80 for a small entity. In this final rule, this fee is $160 
for all entities (i.e., large, small, and micro) because this 
particular fee does not fall under one of the six categories of patent 
fees set forth in section 10(b).
    Additionally, the new contested case proceedings created under the 
Act (inter partes review, post-grant review, covered business method 
patent review, and derivation proceedings) are trial services, not 
appeals. As such, the fees for these services do not fall under any of 
the six categories under section 10(b), and therefore are not eligible 
for discounts. Appeals before the PTAB involve contests to an 
examiner's findings. The new trial services, however, determine whether 
a patent should have been granted. They involve discovery, including 
cross-examination of witnesses. Further, the AIA amends sections of 
Title 35 that specifically reference ``appeals,'' while separately 
discussing inter partes review, post-grant review, and derivation 
proceedings, highlighting that these new services are not appeals. See 
section 7 of the AIA (amending 35 U.S.C. 6).

B. Fees With Proposed Changes of Greater Than Plus or Minus 5 Percent 
and 10 Dollars

    For those fees that change by greater than plus or minus 5 percent 
and 10 dollars, the individual fee rationale discussion is divided into 
four general subcategories: (1) Fees to be set at cost recovery; (2) 
fees to be set below cost recovery; (3) fees to be set above cost 
recovery; and (4) fees that are not set using cost data as an 
indicator. Table 4 contains a summary of the individual fees that are 
discussed in each of the subcategories referenced above.
    For purposes of discussion within this section, where new micro 
entity fees are set, it is expected that an applicant or a patent 
holder would have paid the current small entity fee (or large entity in 
the event there is not a small entity fee), and dollar and percent 
changes are calculated from the current small entity fee amount (or 
large entity fee, where applicable).
    It should be noted that the ``Utility Search Fee'' listed below 
does not meet the ``change by greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 
10 dollars'' threshold, but is nonetheless included in the discussion 
for comparison of total filing, search, and examination fees--all three 
of which are due upon filing an application.

                                           Table 4--Patent Fee Changes
                            [By greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         (1) Fees set at cost recovery:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Prioritized Examination.....            $4,800            $4,000             -$800              -17%
                                                  ($2,400)          ($2,000)           (-$400)            (-17%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$1,000]         [-$1,400]            [-58%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        (2) Fees set below cost recovery:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Filing Fee--Utility...............              $390              $280             -$110              -28%
                                                    ($195)            ($140)            (-$55)            (-28%)

[[Page 4224]]

 
                                                     [N/A]             [$70]           [-$125]            [-64%]
Utility Search Fee......................              $620              $600              -$20               -3%
                                                    ($310)            ($300)            (-$10)             (-3%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$150]           [-$160]            [-52%]
Utility Examination Fee.................              $250              $720             +$470             +188%
                                                    ($125)            ($360)           (+$235)           (+188%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$180]            [+$55]            [+44%]
Total Basic Filing, Search, and Exam--              $1,260            $1,600             +$340              +27%
 Utility................................
                                                    ($630)            ($800)            (+170)            (+27%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$400]           [-$230]            [-37%]
First Request for Continued Examination               $930            $1,200             +$270              +29%
 (RCE)..................................
                                                    ($465)            ($600)           (+$135)            (+29%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$300]           [-$165]            [-35%]
Second and Subsequent RCEs (NEW)........              $930            $1,700             +$770              +83%
                                                    ($465)            ($850)           (+$385)            (+83%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$425]            [-$40]             [-9%]
Notice of Appeal........................              $630              $800             +$170              +27%
                                                    ($315)            ($400)            (+$85)            (+27%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$200]           [-$115]            [-37%]
Filing a Brief in Support of an Appeal                $630                $0             -$630             -100%
 in Application or Ex Parte
 Reexamination Proceeding...............
                                                    ($315)              ($0)           (-$315)           (-100%)
                                                     [N/A]              [$0]           [-$315]           [-100%]
Appeal Forwarding Fee for Appeal in                                   $2,000           +$2,000               N/A
 Examination or Ex Parte Reexamination
 Proceeding or Filing a Brief in Support
 of an Appeal in Inter Partes
 Reexamination (NEW)....................
                                                       NEW          ($1,000)         (+$1,000)             (N/A)
                                                                      [$500]           [+$500]             [N/A]
Total Appeal Fees (Paid before Examiner             $1,260              $800             -$460              -37%
 Answer)................................
                                                    ($630)            ($400)           (-$230)            (-37%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$200]           [-$430]            [-68%]
Total Appeal Fees (Paid after Examiner              $1,260            $2,800           +$1,540             +122%
 Answer)................................
                                                    ($630)          ($1,400)           (+$770)           (+122%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$700]            [+$70]            [+11%]
Ex Parte Reexamination..................           $17,750           $12,000           -$5,750              -32%
                                                     (N/A)          ($6,000)        (-$11,750)            (-66%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$3,000]        [-$14,750]            [-83%]
Processing and Treating a Request for               $5,140            $4,400             -$740              -14%
 Supplemental Examination--Up to 20
 Sheets.................................
                                                     (N/A)          ($2,200)         (-$2,940)            (-57%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$1,100]         [-$4,040]            [-79%]
Ex Parte Reexamination Ordered as a                $16,120           $12,100           -$4,020              -25%
 Result of a Supplemental Examination
 Proceeding.............................
                                                     (N/A)          ($6,050)        (-$10,070)            (-62%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$3,025]        [-$13,095]            [-81%]
Total Supplemental Examination Fees.....           $21,260           $16,500           -$4,760              -22%
                                                     (N/A)          ($8,250)        (-$13,010)            (-61%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$4,125]        [-$17,135]            [-81%]
Inter Partes Review Request--Up to 20                                 $9,000           +$9,000               N/A
 Claims (Per Claim Fee for Each Claim in
 Excess of 20 is $200) (NEW)............
                                                       NEW             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                       [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Inter Partes Review Post Institution                                 $14,000          +$14,000               N/A
 Fee--Up to 15 Claims (Per Claim Fee for
 Each Claim in Excess of 15 is $400)
 (NEW)..................................
                                                       NEW             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                       [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Total Inter Partes Review Fees (For                $27,200           $23,000           -$4,200              -15%
 Current Fees, Per Claim Fee for Each
 Claim in Excess of 20 is $600).........
                                                     (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Post-Grant Review or Covered Business                                $12,000          +$12,000               N/A
 Method Patent Review Request--Up to 20
 Claims (Per Claim Fee for Each Claim in
 Excess of 20 is $250) (NEW)............
                                                       NEW             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                       [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]

[[Page 4225]]

 
Post-Grant Review or Covered Business                                $18,000          +$18,000               N/A
 Method Patent Review Post Institution
 Fee--Up to 15 Claims (Per Claim Fee for
 Each Claim in Excess of 15 is $550)
 (NEW)..................................
                                                       NEW             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                       [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Total Post-Grant Review or Covered                 $35,800           $30,000           -$5,800              -16%
 Business Method Patent Fees (For
 Current Fees, Per Claim Fee for Each
 Claim in Excess of 20 is $800).........
                                                     (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        (3) Fees set above cost recovery:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Publication Fee for Early, Voluntary, or              $300                $0             -$300             -100%
 Normal Publication (Pre Grant
 Publication or PG Pub).................
                                                     (N/A)              ($0)           (-$300)           (-100%)
                                                     [N/A]              [$0]           [-$300]           [-100%]
Utility Issue Fee.......................            $1,770              $960             -$810              -46%
                                                    ($885)            ($480)           (-$405)             (-46%
                                                     [N/A]            [$240]           [-$645]            [-73%]
Combined Total--Pre-grant Publication               $2,070              $960           -$1,110              -54%
 and Issue Fee--Utility.................
                                                  ($1,185)            ($480)           (-$705)            (-59%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$240]           [-$895]            [-77%]
Maintenance Fee Due at 3.5 Years (1st               $1,150            $1,600             +$450              +39%
 Stage).................................
                                                    ($575)            ($800)           (+$225)            (+39%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$400]           [-$175]            [-30%]
Maintenance Fee Due at 7.5 Years (2nd               $2,900            $3,600             +$700              +24%
 Stage).................................
                                                  ($1,450)          ($1,800)           (+$350)            (+24%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$900]           [-$550]            [-38%]
Maintenance Fee Due at 11.5 Years (3rd              $4,810            $7,400           +$2,590              +54%
 Stage).................................
                                                  ($2,405)          ($3,700)         (+$1,295)            (+54%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$1,850]           [-$555]            [-23%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                (4) Fees not set using cost data as an indicator:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extensions for Response within 1st Month              $150              $200              +$50              +33%
                                                     ($75)            ($100)            (+$25)            (+33%)
                                                     [N/A]             [$50]            [-$25]            [-33%]
Extensions for Response within 2nd Month              $570              $600              +$30               +5%
                                                    ($285)            ($300)            (+$15)             (+5%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$150]           [-$135]            [-47%]
Extensions for Response within 3rd Month            $1,290            $1,400             +$110               +9%
                                                    ($645)            ($700)            (+$55)             (+9%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$350]           [-$295]            [-46%]
Extensions for Response within 4th Month            $2,010            $2,200             +$190               +9%
                                                  ($1,005)          ($1,100)            (+$95)             (+9%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$550]           [-$455]            [-45%]
Extensions for Response within 5th Month            $2,730            $3,000             +$270              +10%
                                                  ($1,365)          ($1,500)           (+$135)            (+10%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$750]           [-$615]            [-45%]
Utility Application Size Fee--For each                $320              $400              +$80              +25%
 Additional 50 Sheets that Exceed 100
 Sheets.................................
                                                    ($160)            ($200)            (+$40)            (+25%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$100]            [-$60]            [-38%]
Independent Claims in Excess of 3.......              $250              $420             +$170              +68%
                                                    ($125)            ($210)            (+$85)            (+68%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$105]            [-$20]            [-16%]
Claims in Excess of 20..................               $62               $80              +$18              +29%
                                                     ($31)             ($40)             (+$9)            (+29%)
                                                     [N/A]             [$20]            [-$11]            [-35%]
Multiple Dependent Claim................              $460              $780             +$320              +70%
                                                    ($230)            ($390)           (+$160)            (+70%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$195]            [-$35]            [-15%]
Correct Inventorship After First Action                                 $600             +$600               N/A
 on the Merits (NEW)....................
                                                       NEW            ($300)           (+$300)             (N/A)
                                                                      [$150]           [+$150]             [N/A]

[[Page 4226]]

 
Derivation Petition Fee.................              $400              $400                $0                0%
                                                     (N/A)               N/A             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]               N/A             [N/A]             [N/A]
Assignments Submitted Electronically                   $40                $0              -$40             -100%
 (NEW)..................................
                                                     (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Assignments Not Submitted Electronically               $40               $40                $0                0%
                                                     (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Fees to be set at Cost Recovery
    The following fee is set at cost recovery. This fee supports the 
policy factor of ``offering patent prosecution options to applicants'' 
by providing applicants with flexibilities in seeking patent 
protection. A discussion of the rationale for the proposed change 
follows.

Request for Prioritized Examination:

                            Table 5--Request for Prioritized Examination Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee information               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Prioritized Examination.....            $4,800            $4,000             -$800              -17%
                                                  ($2,400)          ($2,000)           (-$400)            (-17%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$1,000]         [-$1,400]            [-58%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Table 6--Request for Prioritized Examination Cost Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Cost information                          FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost calculation is available in the proposed rule                $4,000
 published in the Federal Register Changes To Implement
 the Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the
 Enhanced Examination Timing Control Procedures, 76 FR
 6369 (Feb. 4, 2011)....................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A patent applicant may seek prioritized examination at the time of 
filing an original utility or plant application or a continuation 
application thereof or upon filing an RCE in compliance with 37 CFR 
1.114. A single request for prioritized examination may be granted for 
an RCE in a plant or utility application. When in the prioritized 
examination track, an application will be accorded special status 
during prosecution until a final disposition is reached. The target for 
prioritized examination is to provide a final disposition within twelve 
months, on average, of prioritized status being granted. This 
prioritized examination procedure is part of an effort by the USPTO to 
offer patent prosecution options to applicants to provide applicants 
greater control over the timing of examination of their applications. 
The procedure thereby enables applicants to have greater certainty in 
their patent rights sooner.
    The AIA established the current large and small entity fees for 
prioritized examination, which the Office put in place in 2011. See 
Changes To Implement the Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the 
Enhanced Examination Timing Control Procedures Under the Leahy-Smith 
America Invents Act, 76 FR 59050 (Sept. 23, 2011). The large entity fee 
is greater than the Office's cost to process a single prioritized 
examination request to subsidize the fee revenue lost from providing 
small entity applicants a 50 percent discount from the large entity 
fee. The cost calculation for the prioritized examination fees is 
available in the proposed rule. See Changes To Implement the 
Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the Enhanced Examination 
Timing Control Procedures, 76 FR 6369 (Feb. 4, 2011). The higher large 
entity fee, coupled with the lower small entity fee, recovers the 
Office's total cost for conducting all prioritized examinations.
    Under section 10, micro entities are eligible to receive a 75 
percent discount from the large entity fee for prioritized examination. 
Here, the Office sets the large entity fee at cost ($4,000), instead of 
further increasing the fee to subsidize the new micro entity discount. 
The Office will recover this subsidy through other fees that are set 
above cost recovery, rather than through a separate, higher, large 
entity fee for prioritized examinations. The Office believes this 
system will foster innovation and allow for ease of entry into the 
patent system. Setting the large entity prioritized examination fee 
further above cost would contradict this policy factor and hinder fast 
patent protection for large entity applicants.

[[Page 4227]]

(2) Fees To Be Set Below Cost Recovery
    There are eight fees that the Office sets below cost recovery that 
meet the greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars criteria. 
The policy factors relevant to setting fees below cost recovery are 
fostering innovation and offering patent prosecution options to 
applicants. Applying these policy factors to set fees below cost 
recovery benefits the patent system by keeping the fees low and making 
patent filing and prosecution more available to applicants, thus 
fostering innovation. Although many fees are increased from current fee 
rates under this rule, the Office is not increasing ``pre-grant'' fees 
(e.g., filing, search, and examination) to avoid creating a barrier to 
entry as otherwise might have been created if fees were set to recover 
the full cost of the activity. The fee schedule offers patent 
prosecution options to provide applicants flexible and cost-effective 
options for seeking and completing patent protection. This strategy 
provides multipart and staged fees for certain patent prosecution and 
contested case activities. A discussion of the rationale for each fee 
adjustment follows.
    Basic Filing, Search, and Examination--Utility:

                       Table 7--Basic Filing, Search, and Examination--Utility Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Filing Fee--Utility...............              $390              $280             -$110              -28%
                                                    ($195)            ($140)            (-$55)            (-28%)
                                                     [N/A]             [$70]           [-$125]            [-64%]
Utiliity Search Fee.....................              $620              $600              -$20               -3%
                                                    ($310)            ($300)            (-$10)             (-3%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$150]            [-160]            [-52%]
Utility Examination Fee.................              $250              $720             +$470             +188%
                                                    ($125)            ($360)           (+$235)           (+188%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$180]            [+$55]           [+$44%]
Total Basic Filing, Search, and Exam--              $1,260            $1,600             +$340              +27%
 Utility................................
                                                    ($630)            ($800)            (+170)            (+27%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$400]           [-$230]            [-37%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


             Table 8--Basic Filing, Search, and Examination--Utility Fee Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   FY 2011  $/%    FY 2010  $/%    FY 2009  $/%
                Historical unit cost information                     of Total        of Total        of Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Filing Fee--Utility.......................................         $234/6%         $243/6%         $241/7%
Utility Search Fee..............................................      $1,521/43%      $1,694/43%      $1,520/41%
Utility Examination Fee.........................................      $1,814/51%      $1,969/51%      $1,904/52%
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total Unit Cost.............................................     $3,569/100%     $3,906/100%     $3,665/100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A non-provisional application for a patent requires filing, search, 
and examination fees to be paid upon filing. Currently, the large 
entity basic filing, search, and examination fees for a utility patent 
recover slightly more than one-third of the average unit cost for 
processing, searching, and examining a patent application, while the 
fee for a small entity application recovers around 17 percent of the 
average unit cost. The Office subsidizes the below-price filing, 
search, and examination fees through higher ``back-end'' fees, for 
example, above cost issue and maintenance fees. The Office maintains 
this ``back-end'' subsidy of ``front-end'' fees structure to achieve 
the policy goal of fostering innovation.
    The current fee rates and respective costs associated with each 
stage of patent prosecution are out of alignment. For example, on 
average, 94 percent of the costs associated with filing, searching, and 
examining an application occur in the search and examination stages 
(see Table 8). Approximately half of those costs are estimated to occur 
in the examination stage (see Table 8), but only 20 percent of the 
total filing, search, and examination fees are derived from the 
examination fee (see Table 9). To adjust this fee structure and help 
stabilize the USPTO funding model, the Office is increasing the total 
filing, search, and examination fees and realigning the fee rates to 
more closely track the cost pattern by stage of prosecution (i.e., 
filing, search, and examination), while keeping each stage below actual 
cost.

    Table 9--Utility Basic Filing, Search, and Examination--Current,
                   Proposed, and Final Fee Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Current  $/% of    Final  $/% of
      Proposed fee information              Total             Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Filing Fee--Utility...........          $390/31%          $280/17%
Utility Search Fee..................          $620/49%          $600/38%
Utility Examination Fee.............          $250/20%          $720/45%
                                     -----------------------------------
    Total Fees......................       $1,260/100%       $1,600/100%
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 4228]]

    In this rule, the Office sets the combined total fee for filing, 
search, and examination at $1,600. This adjustment keeps the cost of 
entering the patent system at or below cost for large, small, and new 
micro entity applicants--45 percent, 22 percent, and 11 percent of FY 
2011 total cost, respectively. Likewise, the adjustment for filing, 
search, and examination fees continues to ensure that these initial 
fees remain a small part (10 percent) of the cost to apply for patent 
protection when compared to the average legal fees to file for a 
patent. The filing, search, and examination fees are also only 10 
percent of the total fees paid for a patent through maintenance to full 
term (i.e., filing, search, examination, issue, and maintenance).
    The overall increase in filing, search, and examination fees 
facilitates effective administration of the patent system, because it 
encourages applicants to submit only the most thoughtful and 
unambiguous applications, therefore facilitating examiners' ability to 
provide prompt, quality non-final and final actions. At the same time, 
the overall increase in filing, search, and examination fees helps to 
stabilize the Office's revenue stream by collecting more revenue when 
an application is filed from all patent applicants, instead of 
collecting revenue when a patent is later published or issued from only 
successful applicants. Also, while the Office increases application 
fees, reducing the pre-grant publication and issue fees offsets these 
increases.
    As discussed above, based on economic indicators, the Office 
projects a 5.0 percent growth rate in application filings for each year 
from FY 2013 to FY 2017. Additionally, the Office recognizes that some 
applicants may choose to reduce the number of applications filed in 
response to this increase in fees. Based on elasticity estimates, the 
Office anticipates that this impact will be relatively short-term, 
lasting for the first two and a half years after the fee increase. The 
Office estimated that applicants would file 1.3 percent fewer new 
(serialized) patent applications during FY 2013 than the number 
estimated to be filed in the absence of a fee increase (with new fee 
schedule implementation for half the fiscal year). The Office estimated 
that 2.7 percent fewer new patent applications would be filed during FY 
2014 and 4.0 percent fewer new patent applications would be filed 
during FY 2015 in response to the fee adjustment. Despite this decrease 
in new patent applications filed when compared to the number filed 
absent the fee increase, the Office estimated that the overall number 
of patent applications filed would continue to grow each year, albeit 
at a lower growth rate in FY 2013 through FY 2015. The Office estimated 
that beginning in FY 2016, the growth in patent applications filed 
would return to the same levels anticipated in the absence of a fee 
increase. To the extent that there is some impact on filings, the 
Office determined that the benefits of the fee changes outweigh the 
temporary cost of fewer patent filings. The additional revenue 
generated from the increase in fees provides sufficient resources to 
decrease pendency. The reduction in pendency is estimated to increase 
private patent value by shortening the time for an invention to be 
commercialized or otherwise obtain value from the exclusive right for 
the technology. Additional information about this estimate is available 
at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp, in a document 
entitled ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Description of Elasticity 
Estimates.'' The economic impact of this proposed adjustment is further 
considered in the cost and benefit analysis included in the Regulatory 
Impact Analysis, available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp.
    It should be noted that utility patent fees are referenced in this 
section to simplify the discussion of the fee rationale. However, the 
rationale also applies to the filing, search, and examination fee 
changes for design, plant, reissue, and PCT national stage fees as 
outlined in the ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Table of Patent Fee 
Changes.''
    Request for Continued Examination (RCE)--First Request:

                       Table 10--First Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Request for Continued Examination               $930            $1,200             +$270              +29%
 (RCE)..................................
                                                    ($465)            ($600)           (+$135)            (+29%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$300]           [-$165]            [-35%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                  Table 11--Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Historical unit cost information                    FY 2011           FY 2010           FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Continued Examination (RCE)...................            $2,070            $1,696            $1,881
Percentage of RCE cost compared to the cost to process a                 60%               43%               51%
 new application..........................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The historical unit cost information is calculated by subtracting the cost to complete a single application with
 no RCEs from the cost to complete a single application with one RCE. A description of the cost components is
 available for review in the ``Section 10 Fee Setting--Activity-Based Information and Costing Methodology''
 document. It is reasonable to expect that the cost to the Office to complete a single RCE should be less than
 the cost to complete a new application because an RCE is continuing from work already performed on the original
 application. The Office's historical cost data demonstrates this, with the cost to process an RCE being, on
 average, half of the cost to prosecute a new application.......................................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An applicant may file an RCE in an application that is under final 
rejection (i.e., prosecution is closed) by filing a submission and 
paying a specified fee within the requisite time period. Applicants 
typically file an RCE when they choose to continue to prosecute an 
application before the examiner, rather than appeal a rejection or 
abandon the

[[Page 4229]]

application. In FY 2011 and FY 2012, about 30 percent of applications 
filed were for RCEs. Generally, around 70 percent of RCE applications 
filed in a year are for first RCEs and the remaining 30 percent are for 
a second or subsequent RCE. Given this data, it is reasonable to expect 
that most outstanding issues are resolved with the first RCE.
    In this final rule, the Office divides the fee for RCEs into two 
parts: (1) A lower fee for a first RCE; and (2) a second, higher fee 
for a second or subsequent RCE. The Office divided this RCE fee 
because, as stated before, 70 percent of RCEs are for the first RCE, 
which indicates that applicants need modest additional time to resolve 
the outstanding issues with the examiner. Multipart RCE fees 
demonstrate how the Office seeks to facilitate effective administration 
of the patent system and offer patent prosecution options to 
applicants.
    The large entity fee for the first RCE is set approximately 36 
percent below cost recovery at $1,200 to advance innovation by easing 
the burden on an applicant needing to resolve outstanding items with an 
examiner. The USPTO calculated the large entity cost for an RCE at 
$1,882 by averaging historical costs after estimating the incremental 
cost to complete a single application with one RCE compared to the cost 
to complete an application with no RCE. The RCE fee in the current fee 
structure is set at 74 percent of the total fees for filing, search, 
and examination ($930 divided by $1,260). The fee relationship of a 
first RCE to total fees for filing, search, and examination set herein 
remains the same at 75 percent ($1,200 divided by $1,600).
    When an applicant does not agree with a final rejection notice, the 
applicant has the option to file a notice of appeal as an alternative 
to filing an RCE. The fee to file a notice of appeal is also set below 
cost recovery and less than the fee set for the first, and second and 
subsequent RCEs (see appeal fee information in a following section). 
The USPTO chose this fee relationship to ensure all applicants have 
viable options to dispute a final rejection when they believe the 
examiner has erred. These patent prosecution options allow applicants 
to make critical decisions at multiple points in the patent prosecution 
process.
    In addition to dividing the current RCE fee into two parts, the 
Office is piloting other ways to address RCEs. Specifically, the Office 
is operating two pilot programs that aim to avoid the need to file an 
RCE by permitting: (i) An Information Disclosure Statement to be 
submitted after payment of the issue fee; and (ii) further 
consideration of after final responses.
    The first initiative, called Quick Path Information Disclosure 
Statement (QPIDS) Pilot, permits an applicant to file an IDS after a 
final rejection and gives the examiner time to consider whether 
prosecution should be reopened. If the items of information in the IDS 
do not require prosecution to be reopened, the application will return 
to issue, thereby eliminating the need for applicants to file an RCE.
    The second initiative, called the After Final Consideration Pilot 
(AFCP), authorizes a limited amount of non-production time for 
examiners to consider responses filed after a final rejection with the 
goal of achieving compact prosecution and increased collaboration 
between examiners and stakeholders. The Office believes these two pilot 
programs should reduce the need for RCEs and thereby enable applicants 
to secure a patent through a single application filing.
    Apart from these pilot programs, the USPTO is collaborating with 
the PPAC on an RCE outreach effort. The objective of this initiative is 
to identify the reasons why applicants file RCEs, identify any 
practices for avoiding unnecessary RCEs, and explore new programs or 
changes in current programs that could reduce the need for some RCEs. 
The Office recently issued a request for comments on RCE practice in 
the Federal Register (see 77 FR 72830 (Dec. 6, 2012)) as a part of this 
multi-step approach to address concerns with respect to RCE practice 
and engage in related efforts directed at reducing patent application 
pendency.
    Request for Continued Examination (RCE)--Second and Subsequent 
Request (New):

               Table 12--Second and Subsequent Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro] entity    [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second and Subsequent Requests for                    $930            $1,700             +$770              +83%
 Continued Examination (RCE) (NEW)......
                                                    ($465)            ($850)           (+$385)            (+83%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$425]            [-$40]             [-9%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                  Table 13--Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Historical unit cost information                    FY 2011           FY 2010           FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Continued Examination (RCE)...................            $2,070            $1,696            $1,881
Percentage of RCE cost compared to the cost to process a                 60%               43%               51%
 new application..........................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The historical unit cost information is calculated by subtracting the cost to complete a single application with
 no RCEs from the cost to complete a single application with one RCE. A description of the cost components is
 available for review in the ``Section 10 Fee Setting--Activity-Based Information and Costing Methodology''
 document. It is reasonable to expect that the cost to the Office to complete a single RCE should be less than
 the cost to complete a new application because an RCE is continuing from work already performed on the original
 application. The Office's historical cost data demonstrates this, as the cost to process an RCE is on average,
 half of the cost to prosecute a new application................................................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As discussed previously, in this rule, the Office divides the fee 
for RCEs into two parts: (1) A lower fee for a first RCE; and (2) a 
second, higher fee for a second or subsequent RCE. Multipart RCE fees 
demonstrate how the Office seeks to

[[Page 4230]]

facilitate effective administration of the patent system and offer 
patent prosecution options to applicants. The Office divided this RCE 
fee because, as noted above, approximately 30 percent of RCEs are for a 
second or subsequent RCE, which indicates that most applicants 
generally need only one RCE to resolve outstanding issues with the 
examiner.
    The Office sets the large entity fee for second and subsequent RCEs 
at $1,700, which is about 10 percent below cost recovery. The USPTO 
calculated the large entity cost for an RCE at $1,882 by averaging 
historical costs after estimating the incremental cost to complete a 
single application with one RCE compared to the cost to complete an 
application with no RCE.
    The Office recognizes that an RCE may be less costly to examine 
than a new continuing application in certain situations. However, the 
patent fee structure is designed such that the costs associated with 
the processing and examination of a new or continuing application are 
recovered by issue and maintenance fees, allowing for a fee 
significantly below cost recovery. To avoid setting higher issue and 
maintenance fees to offset the cost of processing second and subsequent 
RCEs, the fees for those RCEs are set closer to cost recovery. The 
Office determined that increasing the issue and/or maintenance fees to 
offset lower than cost recovery second and subsequent RCEs fees would 
cause the majority of filers (who do not seek more than one RCE) to 
subsidize services provided to the small minority of filers who seek 
two or more RCEs. The Office does not believe such subsidization would 
be an optimal result.
    As discussed earlier, when an applicant does not agree with a final 
rejection notice, the applicant has the option to file a notice of 
appeal, for which the fee is also set below cost recovery and less than 
the fee proposed for the first, and second and subsequent, RCEs (see 
appeal fee information in the following section). The USPTO chose this 
fee relationship to ensure that all applicants have viable options to 
dispute a final rejection when they believe the examiner has erred. 
These patent prosecution options allow applicants to make critical 
decisions at multiple points in the patent prosecution process.
    Appeal Fees (Partially New):

                                          Table 14--Appeal Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro] entity    [micro]  entity   [micro] entity    [micro] entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Appeal........................              $630              $800             +$170              +27%
                                                    ($315)            ($400)            (+$85)            (+27%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$200]           [-$115]            [-37%]
Filing a Brief in Support of an Appeal                $630                $0             -$630             -100%
 in Application or Ex Parte
 Reexamination Proceeding...............
                                                    ($315)              ($0)           (-$315)           (-100%)
                                                     [N/A]              [$0]           [-$315]           [-100%]
Appeal Forwarding Fee for Appeal in                                   $2,000               N/A               N/A
 Examination or Ex Parte Reexamination
 Proceeding or Filing a Brief in Support
 of an Appeal in Inter Partes
 Reexamination (NEW)....................
                                                       NEW          ($1,000)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                      [$500]             [N/A]             [N/A]
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Appeal Fees...................            $1,260              $800             -$460              -37%
    (paid before Examiner Answer).......
                                                    ($630)            ($400)           (-$230)            (-37%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$200]           [-$430]            [-68%]
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Appeal Fees...................            $1,260            $2,800           +$1,540             +122%
     (paid after Examiner Answer).......
                                                    ($630)          ($1,400)           (+$770)           (+122%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$700]            [+$70]            [+11%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                Table 15--Appeal Fee Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Historical unit cost information                    FY 2011           FY 2010           FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Appeal to Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)..            $4,799            $4,960            $5,008
Filing a Brief in Support of an Appeal....................
Appeal Forwarding Fee.....................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An applicant who disagrees with an examiner's final rejection may 
appeal to the PTAB by filing a notice of appeal and the required fee 
within the time period provided. An applicant likewise may file a 
notice of appeal after the applicant's claim(s) has/have been twice 
rejected, regardless of whether the claim(s) has/have been finally 
rejected. Further, an applicant may file a notice of appeal after a 
first rejection in a continuing application if any of the claims in the 
parent application were previously rejected.
    Within two months from the date of filing a notice of appeal, an 
appellant must file a Brief. Then, the examiner must file an Examiner's 
Answer. After the Examiner's Answer is mailed, the appeal file is 
forwarded to the PTAB for review.
    Currently, a large entity applicant pays $630 to file a notice of 
appeal and another $630 when filing a Brief--a total

[[Page 4231]]

of $1,260. These current fees only recover approximately 25 percent of 
the Office's cost of an appeal. In this final rule, the Office 
increases appeal fees to reduce the gap between fees and cost. At the 
same time, the Office offers patent prosecution options to applicants 
and stages the appeal fees to recover additional cost at later points 
in time and thereby minimize the cost impacts on applicants associated 
with withdrawn final rejections.
    In the NPRM, the Office proposed to set a $1,000 notice of appeal 
fee and a $0 fee when filing the brief. After evaluating comments 
received from the PPAC and the public, the Office is adjusting the 
notice of appeal fee down to $800 and setting the $0 fee when filing 
the brief. The Office recognizes that after some notices of appeal are 
filed, the matter is resolved, and there is no need to take the 
ultimate step of forwarding the appeal to the PTAB for a decision. The 
Office further sets a $2,000 fee to forward the appeal file--containing 
the appellant's Brief and the Examiner's Answer--to the PTAB for 
review. This fee is the same as the Office proposed in the NPRM. Under 
this fee structure, 28 percent of the fee would be paid at the time of 
notice of appeal, and the remaining 72 percent would be paid after the 
Examiner's Answer, but only if the appeal is forwarded to the PTAB. The 
Office estimates that less than 5 percent of applicants who receive 
final rejections will pay the full fee ($2,800) required to forward an 
appeal to PTAB. This fee structure allows the appellant to reduce the 
amount invested in the appeal process until receiving the Examiner's 
Answer. In fact, when prosecution issues are resolved after the notice 
of appeal and before forwarding an appeal to the PTAB, a large entity 
appellant would pay only $800 to obtain an Examiner's Answer, 37 
percent less than under the current fee structure.
    Staging the appeal fees in this manner allows applicants to pay 
less in situations when an application is either allowed or reopened 
instead of being forwarded to the PTAB. This patent prosecution option 
allows applicants to make critical decisions at multiple points in the 
patent prosecution process. Also, just as the Office is exploring ways 
to minimize unnecessary RCE filings, the Office is likewise exploring 
other options, including pilot programs, in an effort to reduce the 
need to appeal to the PTAB.
    Ex Parte Reexamination:

                                  Table 16--Ex Parte Reexamination Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee Description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro] entity    [micro]  entity   [micro] entity    [micro] entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ex Parte Reexamination..................           $17,750           $12,000           -$5,750              -32%
                                                     (N/A)          ($6,000)        (-$11,750)            (-66%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$3,000]        [-$14,750]            [-83%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                          Table 17--Ex Parte Reexamination Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Historical unit cost information                    FY 2011           FY 2010           FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ex Parte Reexamination....................................           $19,626           $16,648           $17,162
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Table 18--Ex Parte Reexamination Prospective Cost Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Prospective cost information                    FY 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supplemental Examination Fee Methodology for Final               $17,750
 Rule (77 FR 48828 (Aug. 14, 2012)) available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/supp_exam_fee_meth_fr.pdf.........................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Any person (including anonymously) may file a petition for the ex 
parte reexamination of a patent that has been issued. The Office 
initially determines if the petition presents ``a substantial new 
question of patentability'' as to the challenged claims. If such a new 
question has been presented, the Office will order an ex parte 
reexamination of the patent for the relevant claims.
    After noting a disparity between the previous ex parte 
reexamination fee ($2,520) and the cost of completing the proceeding 
($17,750), the Office increased the fee using its authority under 35 
U.S.C. section 41(d). (See Changes To Implement the Supplemental 
Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and To 
Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 48828 (Aug. 14, 2012)).
    In the NPRM, the Office proposed setting the ex parte reexamination 
fee at $15,000, which is 15 percent below the Office's cost of 
conducting the proceeding, and introduced new small and micro entity 
discounts for an ex parte reexamination (in accordance with section 10, 
third party requestors are not eligible for the micro entity 
discounts).
    In this final rule, the Office further reduces the large entity fee 
for ex parte reexamination from $15,000 (as proposed in the NPRM) to 
$12,000, which is 32 percent below the Office's cost of conducting the 
proceeding. Setting the fee below cost permits easier access to the ex 
parte reexamination process, which benefits the patent system and 
patent quality by removing low quality patents.
    The ex parte reexamination fee is due at the time of filing, 
however, it is in essence a two-part fee. First, part of the ex parte 
reexamination fee helps to recover the costs for analyzing the request 
and drafting the decision whether to grant or deny ex parte 
reexamination. This is based on the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(7) 
for a denied request for ex parte reexamination ($3,600, $1,800 for a 
small entity, and $900 for a micro entity patentee). Second, the 
remaining part of the fee helps to recover the costs for conducting ex 
parte reexamination if the request for ex parte reexamination is

[[Page 4232]]

granted. This is based on the ex parte reexamination fee set forth in 
37 CFR 1.20(c)(1) less the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(7) for a 
denied request for ex parte reexamination ($12,000 less $3,600 equals 
$8,400 for a large entity; $6,000 less $1,800 equals $4,200 for a small 
entity; and $3,000 less $900 equals $2,100 for a micro entity 
patentee).
    Supplemental Examination:

                                 Table 19--Supplemental Examination Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large ( small)    Large ( small)    Large ( small)    Large ( small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing and Treating a Request for               $5,140            $4,400             -$740              -14%
 Supplemental Examination--Up to 20                  (N/A)          ($2,200)         (-$2,940)            (-57%)
 Sheets.................................             [N/A]          [$1,100]         [-$4,040]            [-79%]
Ex Parte Reexamination Ordered as a                $16,120           $12,100           -$4,020              -25%
 Result of a Supplemental Examination                (N/A)          ($6,050)        (-$10,070)            (-62%)
 Proceeding.............................             [N/A]          [$3,025]        [-$13,095]            [-81%]
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Supplemental Examination Fees.           $21,260           $16,500           -$4,760              -22%
                                                     (N/A)          ($8,250)        (-$13,010)            (-61%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$4,125]        [-$17,135]            [-81%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


     Table 20--Supplemental Examination Prospective Cost Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Prospective cost information                    FY 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supplemental Examination Fee Methodology for Final Rule (77 FR 48828
 (Aug. 14, 2012)) available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/supp_exam_fee_meth_fr.pdf
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supplemental Examination Request *......................          $5,180
Supplemental Examination Reexamination..................          16,120
                                                         ---------------
    Total Supplemental Examination Costs................          21,300
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* In the final rule, the Office estimated its fiscal year 2013 cost for
 processing and treating a request for supplemental examination to be
 $5,180. The Office also estimated that the document size fees will
 recover an average of $40 per request for supplemental examination.
 Therefore, the Office added new Sec.   1.20(k)(1) to set a fee of
 $5,140 for processing and treating a request for supplemental
 examination (the estimated 2013 cost amount rounded to the nearest ten
 dollars minus $40).
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Supplemental examination is a new proceeding created by the AIA 
with an effective date of September 16, 2012 (see Changes To Implement 
the Supplemental Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America 
Invents Act and To Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 48828 (Aug. 14, 
2012)). A patent owner may request a supplemental examination of a 
patent by the Office to consider, reconsider, or correct information 
believed to be relevant to the patent. This proceeding will help the 
patent owner preempt inequitable conduct challenges to the patent. The 
need for this proceeding arises only after a patent owner recognizes 
that there is information that should have been brought to the 
attention of the Office to consider or reconsider during the 
application process, or information submitted during the application 
process that needs to be corrected.
    The current fees for the request for supplemental examination and 
the ex parte reexamination ordered as a result of a supplemental 
examination proceeding are $5,140 and $16,120, respectively, as set 
using the Office's authority under 35 U.S.C. 41(d).
    In the NPRM, the Office proposed to adjust supplemental examination 
fees to 15 percent below cost at $18,000 ($4,400 for the request and 
$13,600 for the reexamination). After updating the patent operating 
plans and corresponding aggregate costs in response to public comments, 
the Office determined that it could reduce the supplemental examination 
fee further while continuing to ensure that the aggregate revenue 
equals aggregate cost. In this rule, the Office is reducing the fee for 
conducting an ex parte reexamination ordered as a result of a 
supplemental examination to $12,100 and setting the total supplemental 
examination fees at $16,500 ($4,400 for the request and $12,100 for the 
reexamination), which is 22 percent below the Office's cost for these 
services.
    The Office believes these reduced fee amounts continue to be 
sufficient to encourage applicants to submit applications with all 
relevant information during initial examination, yet low enough to 
facilitate effective administration of the patent system by providing 
patentees with a procedure to immunize a patent from an inequitable 
conduct challenge.
    Inter Partes Review:

[[Page 4233]]



                                   Table 21-- Inter Partes Review Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inter Partes Review Request--Up to 20                  NEW            $9,000               N/A               N/A
 Claims (Per Claim Fee for Each Claim in                               (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
 Excess of 20 is $200) (NEW)............                               [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Inter Partes Review Post Institution                   NEW           $14,000               N/A               N/A
 Fee--Up to 15 Claims (Per Claim Fee for                               (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
 Each Claim in Excess of 15 is $400)                                   [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
 (NEW)..................................
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Inter Partes Review Fees (For            $27,200           $23,000           -$4,200              -15%
     Current Fees, Per Claim Fee for                 (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
     Each Claim in Excess of 20 is $600)             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


       Table 22--Inter Partes Review Prospective Cost Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Prospective cost information                    FY 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Total Inter Partes Review cost calculation of $27,200 included in
 Changes to Implement Inter Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant Review
 Proceedings, and Transitional Program for Covered Business Method
 Patents, 77 FR 48680 (Aug. 14, 2012) is available for review at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08-14/pdf/2012-17906.pdf. The Office
 estimated that 35 hours of Judge time would be required during review
 and used this as the basis for estimating the cost for the Inter Partes
 Review. The IT-related costs are included in the Review Request portion
 of the fee.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Description                  Base cost      Per claim cost
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inter Partes Review Request--up to             $10,500       > 20 = $200
 20 claims..........................
Inter Partes Review Post Institution            16,700       > 15 = $400
 Fee--up to 15 claims...............
                                     -----------------------------------
    Total Inter Partes Review Costs.            27,200               N/A
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Inter partes review is a new trial proceeding created by the AIA 
with an effective date of September 16, 2012 (see Changes to Implement 
Inter Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant Review Proceedings, and 
Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents 77 FR 48680 
(Aug. 14, 2012). Inter partes review allows the Office to review the 
patentability of one or more claims in a patent only on a ground that 
could be raised under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103, and only on the basis of 
prior art consisting of patents or printed publications. The inter 
partes review process begins when a third party files a petition nine 
months after the grant of a patent. An inter partes review may be 
instituted upon a showing that there is a reasonable likelihood that 
the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least one claim 
challenged. If the review is instituted and not dismissed, the PTAB 
will issue a final determination within one year of institution. The 
period can be extended for good cause for up to six months from the 
date of one year after instituting the review.
    In this final rule, the Office sets the inter partes review fees at 
a level below the Office's cost recovery and improves the fee payment 
structure. The Office sets four separate fees for inter partes review, 
which a petitioner would pay upon filing a petition. The Office also 
chooses to return fees for post-institution services should a review 
not be instituted. Similarly, the Office establishes that fees paid for 
post-institution review of a large number of claims will be returned if 
the Office only institutes the review of a subset of the requested 
claims.
    The USPTO sets the fee for an inter partes review petition at 
$9,000 for up to 20 claims. This fee would not be returned or refunded 
to the petitioner even if the review is not instituted.
    In addition, the USPTO sets a per claim fee of $200 for each claim 
requested for review in excess of 20. This fee would not be returned or 
refunded to the petitioner if the review is not instituted or if the 
institution is limited to a subset of the requested claims.
    The USPTO also sets the inter partes review post-institution fee at 
$14,000 for a review of up to 15 claims. This fee would be returned to 
the petitioner if the Office does not institute a review. Likewise, the 
Office sets a per claim fee of $400 for review of each claim in excess 
of 15 during the post-institution trial. The entire post-institution 
fee would be returned to the petitioner if the Office does not 
institute a review. The entire excess claims fee would be returned if 
review of 15 or fewer claims is instituted. If the Office reviews more 
than 15 claims, but fewer than all of the requested claims, it would 
return part of the fee for each claim the Office did not review.
    For example, under this final rule, if a party requests inter 
partes review of 52 claims, the petitioner would pay a single fee up 
front comprising two parts and totaling $44,200. The first part is for 
determining whether to institute the review and would include the base 
fee ($9,000) plus a fee of $200 for each of the additional 32 claims 
(52 minus 20), which equates to an additional $6,400 for a total review 
request fee of $15,400 ($9,000 plus $6,400). The second part of the fee 
is for when the review is instituted and includes the base fee of 
$14,000 plus a fee of $400 for each of the additional 37 claims (52 
minus 15),

[[Page 4234]]

which equates to an additional $14,800 for a total post institution fee 
of $28,800 ($14,000 plus $14,800). In addition, under this rule, if the 
petitioner seeks review of 52 claims, but the Office only institutes 
review of 40 claims, the Office would return $4,800 (it did not 
institute review of the 41st through 52nd claim for which review was 
requested). Alternatively, if the review is not instituted at all, the 
portion of the fee covering the trial would be returned (i.e., the base 
post-institution fee of $14,000 as well as the $14,800 for claims over 
15, for a total of $28,800).
    The Office sets these two claim thresholds--one for petitions (up 
to 20 claims) and the other for the post-institution trials (up to 15 
claims)--because it anticipates that it will not institute review of 25 
percent of claims for which review is requested. The Office bases this 
approach on its analysis of the initial inter partes reexaminations 
filed after September 15, 2011, as well as the new opportunity for 
patent owners to file a response to the petition before the Office 
determines whether and for which claims to institute review.
    This approach also considers certain policy factors, such as 
fostering innovation by facilitating greater access to the inter partes 
review proceedings and thereby removing low quality patents from the 
patent system.
    Post-Grant Review or Covered Business Method Patent Review:

                Table 23--Post-Grant Review or Covered Business Method Patent Review Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro] entity    [micro] entity    [micro] entity    [micro] entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post-Grant Review or Covered Business                  NEW           $12,000               N/A               N/A
 Method Patent Review Request--Up to 20                                (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
 Claims (Per Claim Fee for Each Claim in                               [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
 Excess of 20 is $250) (NEW)............
Post-Grant Review or Covered Business                  NEW           $18,000               N/A               N/A
 Method Patent Review Post Institution                                 (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
 Fee--Up to 15 Claims (Per Claim Fee for                               [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
 Each Claim in Excess of 15 is $550)
 (NEW)..................................
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Post-Grant Review or Covered             $35,800           $30,000           -$5,800              -16%
     Business Method Patent Review Fees              (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
     (For Current Fees, Per Claim Fee                [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
     for Each Claim in Excess of 20 is
     $800)..............................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Table 24--Post-Grant Review or Covered Business Method Patent Review
                      Prospective Cost Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Prospective cost information                    FY 2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Total Post-Grant Review cost calculation of $35,800 included in
 Changes to Implement Inter Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant Review
 Proceedings, and Transitional Program for Covered Business Method
 Patents, 77 FR 48680 (Aug. 14, 2012) is available for review at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08-14/pdf/2012-17906.pdf. The Office
 estimated that 50 hours of Judge time would be required during review
 and used this as the basis for estimating the cost for the Post-Grant
 Review. The IT-related costs are included in the Review Request portion
 of the fee.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Description                  Base cost      Per claim cost
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post-Grant Review or Covered                   $14,700       > 20 = $250
 Business Method Patent Review
 Request--up to 20 claims...........
Post-Grant Review or Covered                    21,100       > 15 = $550
 Business Method Patent Review Post
 Institution Fee--up to 15 claims...
                                     -----------------------------------
    Total Post-Grant Review Costs...            35,800               N/A
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Post-grant review is a new trial proceeding created by the AIA with 
an effective date of September 16, 2012 (see Changes to Implement Inter 
Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant Review Proceedings, and 
Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents, 77 FR 48680 
(Aug. 14, 2012)). Post-grant review allows the Office to review the 
patentability of one or more claims in a patent on any ground that 
could be raised under 35 U.S.C. 282(b)(2) and (b)(3) in effect on 
September 16, 2012. The post-grant review process begins when a third 
party files a petition within nine months of the grant of a patent. A 
post-grant review may be instituted upon a showing that it is more 
likely than not that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable or 
that the petition raises an unsettled legal question that is important 
to other patents or patent applications. If the review is instituted 
and not dismissed, the PTAB will issue a final determination within one 
year of institution. This period can be extended for good cause for up 
to six months from the date of one year after instituting the review.
    In this final rule, the Office sets the post-grant review fee at a 
level below the Office's cost recovery and improves the fee payment 
structure. The Office sets four separate fees for post-grant review, 
which the petitioner would pay upon filing a petition for post-grant 
review. The Office also chooses to return fees for post-institution 
services if a review is not instituted. Similarly, the Office 
establishes that fees paid for a post-institution review of a large

[[Page 4235]]

number of claims will be returned if the Office only institutes the 
review of a subset of the requested claims. The same structure and fees 
apply for covered business method review.
    The Office sets the fee for a post-grant review petition at $12,000 
for up to 20 claims. This fee would not be returned or refunded to the 
petitioner even if the review is not instituted by the Office.
    In addition, the Office sets a per claim fee of $250 for each claim 
in excess of 20. This fee would not be returned or refunded to the 
petitioner if the review is not instituted, or if the institution is 
limited to a subset of the requested claims.
    The USPTO also sets a post-grant review post-institution fee at 
$18,000 for post-institution review of up to 15 claims. This fee would 
be returned to the petitioner if the Office does not institute a 
review. Likewise, the Office sets a per claim fee of $550 for review of 
each claim in excess of 15 during the post-institution review. The 
entire fee would be returned to the petitioner if the Office does not 
institute a review. The excess claims fees would be returned if review 
of 15 or fewer claims is instituted. If the Office reviews more than 15 
claims, but fewer than all of the requested claims, it would return 
part of the fee for each claim that was not instituted.
    For example, under this final rule, a party seeking post-grant 
review of 52 claims would pay a single fee up front comprising two 
parts and totaling $58,350. The first part is for determining whether 
to institute the review and would include the base fee ($12,000) plus a 
fee of $250 for each of the additional 32 claims (52 minus 20), which 
equates to an additional $8,000 for a total review request fee of 
$20,000 ($12,000 plus $8,000). The second part of the fee is for when 
the review is instituted and includes the base fee of $18,000 plus a 
fee of $550 for each of the additional 37 claims (52 minus 15), which 
equates to an additional $20,350 for a total post institution fee of 
$38,350 ($18,000 plus $20,350). In addition, under this rule, if the 
petitioner requests review of 52 claims, but the Office only institutes 
review of 40 claims, then the Office would return $6,600 (it did not 
institute review of the 41st through 52nd claims for which review was 
requested). Alternatively, if a review is not instituted at all, the 
Office would return $38,350 ($20,350 for claims over 15, as well as the 
base $18,000 post-institution fee).
    The Office sets two different claim thresholds--one for petition 
(up to 20 claims) and the other for the post-institution trials (up to 
15 claims)--because it anticipates that it will not institute a review 
of 25 percent of claims for which review is requested. The Office bases 
this approach on its analysis of the initial inter partes 
reexaminations filed after September 15, 2011, as well as the new 
opportunity for patent owners to file a response to the petition before 
the Office determines whether and for which claims to institute review.
    The approach also considers certain policy factors, such as 
fostering innovation through facilitating greater access to the post-
grant review proceedings and thereby removes low quality patents from 
the patent system.
    Pre Grant Publication (PGPub) Fee:

                               Table 25--Pre Grant Publication (PGPub) Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description                Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)     Large (small)
                                           [micro] entity    [micro] entity    [micro] entity    [micro] entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Publication Fee for Early, Voluntary, or              $300                $0             -$300             -100%
 Normal Publication.....................
Publication Fee for Republication.......               300               300                 0                0%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                       Table 26--Pre Grant Publication (PGPub) Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Historical unit cost information                    FY 2011          FY 2010          FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Publication Fee for Early, Voluntary, or Normal Publication..            $181             $158             $243
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With certain exceptions, each nonprovisional utility and plant 
patent application is published 18 months from the earliest effective 
filing date. The fee for this pre-grant publication (PGPub) is paid 
only after a patent is granted. If a patent is never granted, the 
applicant does not pay the fee for PGPub. Once the Office determines 
that the invention claimed in a patent application is patentable, the 
Office sends a notice of allowance to the applicant, outlining the 
patent application publication fees due, along with the patent issue 
fee. The applicant must pay these publication and issue fees three 
months from the date of the notice of allowance to avoid abandoning the 
application.
    Currently, the PGPub fee is set at $300 and collects over one and a 
half times the cost to publish a patent application. The IP system 
benefits from publishing patent applications; disclosing information 
publicly stimulates research and development, as well as subsequent 
commercialization through further development or refinement of an 
invention. Therefore, a lower PGPub fee would benefit both applicants 
and innovators in the patent system.
    Given that publishing a patent application 18 months after its 
earliest effective filing date benefits the IP system more than 
individual applicants, the Office reduces the PGPub fee to $0. Reducing 
this fee also helps rebalance the fee structure and offsets the 
proposed increases to filing, search, and examination fees ($340 
increase, less this $300 decrease is a net $40 increase--or 3 percent--
to apply for a patent and publish the application). However, to allow 
the Office to recover sufficient revenue to pay for the projected cost 
of patent operations in FY 2013, the effective date of the proposed 
reduction to the PGPub fee is January 1, 2014.
    The PGPub fee for republication of a patent application 
(1.18(d)(2)) is not adjusted, but is set at the existing rate of $300. 
The Office keeps this fee at its existing rate for each patent 
application that must be published again after a first publication for 
$0.

[[Page 4236]]

(3) Fees To Be Set Above Cost Recovery
    There are two fees that the Office sets above cost recovery that 
meet the greater than plus or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars criteria. 
The policy factor relevant to setting fees above cost recovery is 
fostering innovation. Back-end fees work in concert with front-end 
fees. The above-cost, back-end fees allow the Office to recover the 
revenue required to subsidize the cost of entry into the patent system 
and reduce the backlog of patent applications. A discussion of the 
rationale for each change follows.
    Issue Fees:

                                           Table 27--Issue Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utility Issue Fee.......................           +$1,770             +$960             -$810              -46%
                                                   (+$885)           (+$480)           (-$405)            (-46%)
                                                     [N/A]           [+$240]           [-$645]            [-73%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                 Table 28--Issue Fee Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Historical unit cost information             FY 2011          FY 2010          FY 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utility Issue Fee.............................            $257             $231             $224
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Once the Office determines that the invention claimed in a patent 
application is patentable, the USPTO sends a notice of allowance to the 
applicant outlining the patent application publication and patent issue 
fees due. The applicant must pay the publication and issue fees three 
months from the date of the notice of allowance to avoid abandoning the 
application.
    In setting fees due after completing prosecution at a level higher 
than cost, front-end fees can be maintained below cost, thereby 
fostering innovation. Currently, the large entity issue fee is set at 
$1,770, which is seven times more than the cost of issuing a patent. 
This fee recovers revenue, but it also poses a challenge to applicants 
at the time of allowance. When the issue fee is due, patent owners 
possess less information about the value of their invention than they 
do a few years later. Lowering issue fees will help inventors 
financially at a time when the marketability of their invention is less 
certain. Additionally, setting the PGPub fee at $0 as discussed above, 
and recovering the combined cost of publishing and issuing an 
application through only the issue fee benefits small and micro entity 
innovators. The 50 percent discount for small entities and 75 percent 
discount for micro entities are not available for the publication fee, 
but are available for the issue fee. Thus, there are benefits to both 
the IP system and the applicant when the issue fees are set at an 
amount lower than the current fee amount, but still above cost 
recovery.
    To both maintain the beneficial aspects of this back-end subsidy 
model and realign the balance of the fee structure, the Office 
decreases the large entity issue fee to $960. This amount is about 
twice the cost of both publishing an application (which is set below 
cost at $0) and issuing a patent. This fee adjustment is over a 50 
percent decrease from the amount currently paid for both the PGPub and 
issue fees together. The Office is adjusting the issue fee in two 
steps. First, the Office sets the issue fee at $1,780 and makes 
available a 50 percent discount for small entities and a 75 percent 
discount for micro entities. Second, the Office decreases the large 
entity issue fee to $960 effective January 1, 2014, and continues to 
make available discounts for small and micro entities.
    It should be noted that only utility issue fees are referenced in 
this section to simplify the discussion of the fee rationale. However, 
the rationale is applicable to the issue fee changes for design, plant, 
and reissue fees as outlined in the ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--
Table of Patent Fee Changes.''
    Maintenance Fees:

                                        Table 29--Maintenance Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maintenance Fee Due at 3.5 Years (1st               $1,150            $1,600             +$450              +39%
 Stage).................................            ($575)            ($800)           (+$225)            (+39%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$400]           [$-175]            [-30%]
Maintenance Fee Due at 7.5 Years (2nd               $2,900            $3,600             +$700              +24%
 Stage).................................          ($1,450)          ($1,800)           (+$350)            (+24%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$900]           [-$550]            [-38%]
Maintenance Fee Due at 11.5 Years (3rd              $4,810            $7,400           +$2,590              +54%
 Stage).................................          ($2,405)          ($3,700)         (+$1,295)            (+54%)
                                                     [N/A]          [$1,850]           [-$555]            [-23%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 4237]]


                              Table 30--Maintenance Fee Historical Cost Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Historical unit cost information                     FY 2011 *        FY 2010         FY 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maintenance Fee Due at 3.5 Years (1st Stage)....................  ..............              $1              $2
Maintenance Fee Due at 7.5 Years (2nd Stage)....................  ..............               1               2
Maintenance Fee Due at 11.5 Years (3rd Stage)...................  ..............               1               2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Beginning in FY 2011, the Office determined that the maintenance fee activity was in support of the process
  application fees activity and its associated fees. Therefore, the Office reassigned these costs accordingly,
  and no longer estimates a unit cost for maintenance fee activities. Additional information about the
  methodology for determining the cost of performing the Office's activities, including the cost components
  related to respective fees, available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1 in the
  document titled ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Activity-Based Information and Costing Methodology.''

    Maintenance fees must be paid at defined intervals--3.5 years, 7.5 
years, and 11.5 years--after the Office grants a utility patent in 
order to keep the patent in force. Maintaining a patent costs the 
Office very little. However, maintenance fees benefit the Office and 
the patent system by generating revenue that permits the Office to keep 
front-end fees below cost and to subsidize the cost of prosecution for 
small and micro entity innovators.
    Additionally, maintenance fees will be paid only by patent owners 
who believe the value of their patent is higher than the fees for 
renewing their patent rights. On this score, setting early maintenance 
fees lower than later maintenance fees mitigates uncertainty associated 
with the value of the patent. As the value becomes more certain over 
time, the maintenance fee increases because patent owners have more 
information about the commercial value of the patented invention and 
can more readily decide whether the benefit of a patent outweighs the 
cost of the fee.
    Therefore, under a progressively higher maintenance fee schedule, a 
patent holder is positioned to perform an individual cost-benefit 
analysis to determine if the patent is at least as valuable as the 
maintenance fee payment. When the patent holder determines that the 
patent benefit (value) outweighs the cost (maintenance fee), the holder 
will likely continue to maintain the patent. Conversely, when the 
patent holder determines that the benefit is less than the cost, the 
holder likely will not maintain the patent to full term. When the 
patent expires, the subject matter of the patent is no longer held with 
exclusive patent rights, and the public may utilize the invention and 
work to extend its innovation or commercialization. More information on 
the economic costs and benefits of patent renewal can be found in the 
rulemaking RIA, which is available for review at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp.
    The Office increases the first, second, and third stage maintenance 
fees to $1,600, $3,600, and $7,400, respectively. These increases are 
commensurate with the subsidies offered for prosecution of a patent 
application and align with the fee setting strategy of fostering 
innovation by setting front-end fees below cost. The increase also 
ensures that the USPTO has sufficient aggregate revenue to recover the 
aggregate cost of operations and implement goals and objectives.
(4) Fees That Are Not Set Using Cost Data as an Indicator
    Fees in this category include those fees for which the USPTO does 
not typically maintain historical cost information separate from that 
included in the average overall cost of activities during patent 
prosecution or did not refer to cost information for setting the 
particular fee. Instead, the Office evaluates the policy factors 
described in Part III. Rulemaking Goals and Strategies, above, to 
inform fee setting. Some of these fees are based on the size and 
complexity of an application and help the Office to effectively 
administer the patent system by encouraging applicants to engage in 
certain activities. Setting fees at particular levels can: (1) 
Encourage the submission of applications or other actions which lead to 
more efficient processing where examiners can provide, and applicants 
can receive, prompt, quality interim and final decisions; (2) encourage 
the prompt conclusion of prosecuting an application, resulting in 
pendency reduction and the faster dissemination of patented 
information; and (3) help recover costs for activities that strain the 
patent system.
    There are six types of fees in this category. A discussion of the 
rationale for each proposed change follows.
    Extension of Time Fees:

                                     Table 31--Extension of Time Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extension for Response within 1st Month.              $150              $200              +$50              +33%
                                                     ($75)            ($100)            (+$25)            (+33%)
                                                     [N/A]             [$50]            [-$25]            [-33%]
Extension for Response within 2nd Month.              $570              $600              +$30               +5%
                                                    ($285)            ($300)            (+$15)             (+5%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$150]           [-$135]            [-47%]
Extension for Response within 3rd Month.            $1,290            $1,400             +$110               +9%
                                                    ($645)            ($700)            (+$55)             (+9%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$350]           [-$295]            [-46%]
Extension for Response within 4th Month.            $2,010            $2,200             +$190               +9%
                                                  ($1,005)          ($1,100)            (+$95)             (+9%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$550]           [-$455]            [-45%]

[[Page 4238]]

 
Extension for Response within 5th Month.            $2,730            $3,000             +$270              +10%
                                                  ($1,365)          ($1,500)           (+$135)            (+10%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$750]           [-$615]            [-45%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If an applicant must reply within a non-statutory or shortened 
statutory time period, the applicant can extend the reply time period 
by filing a petition for an extension of time and paying the requisite 
fee. Extensions of time may be automatically authorized at the time an 
application is filed or requested as needed during prosecution. The 
USPTO increases these fees to facilitate an efficient and prompt 
conclusion of application processing, which benefits the Office's 
compact prosecution initiatives and reduces patent application 
pendency.
    Application Size Fees:

                                     Table 32--Application Size Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Size Fee--For each                        $320              $400              +$80              +25%
 Additional 50 Sheets that Exceed 100               ($160)            ($200)            (+$40)            (+25%)
 Sheets.................................             [N/A]            [$100]            [-$60]            [-38%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Currently, the Office charges an additional fee for any application 
where the specification and drawings together exceed 100 sheets of 
paper. The application size fee applies for each additional 50 sheets 
of paper or fraction thereof. The USPTO increases the application size 
fee to facilitate an efficient and compact application examination 
process, which benefits the applicant and the effective administration 
of patent prosecution. Succinct applications facilitate faster 
examination with an expectation of fewer errors.
    Excess Claims:

                                       Table 33--Excess Claims Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent Claims in Excess of 3.......              $250              $420             +$170              +68%
                                                    ($125)            ($210)            (+$85)            (+68%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$105]            [-$20]            [-16%]
Claims in Excess of 20..................               $62               $80              +$18              +29%
                                                     ($31)             ($40)             (+$9)            (+29%)
                                                     [N/A]             [$20]            [-$11]            [-35%]
Multiple Dependent Claim................              $460              $780             +$320              +70%
                                                    ($230)            ($390)           (+$160)            (+70%)
                                                     [N/A]            [$195]            [-$35]            [-15%]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Currently, the Office charges a fee for filing, or later presenting 
at any other time, each independent claim in excess of 3, as well as 
each claim (whether dependent or independent) in excess of 20. In 
addition, any original application that is filed with, or amended to 
include, multiple dependent claims must pay the multiple dependent 
claim fee. Generally, a multiple dependent claim is a dependent claim 
which refers back in the alternative to more than one preceding 
independent or dependent claim.
    The patent fee structure has maintained excess claim fees since at 
least 1982, and the result has been that most applications now contain 
three or fewer independent claims and twenty or fewer total claims. 
Applicants who feel they need more than this number of independent or 
total claims may continue to present them by paying the applicable 
excess claims fee. While the former excess claims fee amount encouraged 
most applicants to present three or fewer independent claims and twenty 
or fewer total claims, it was not sufficient to discourage some 
applicants from presenting a copious number of

[[Page 4239]]

claims for apparent tactical reasons, nor did the former excess claims 
fee reflect the excess burden associated with examining those claims. 
See, e.g., Rules of Practice for Trials Before the Patent Trial and 
Appeal Board and Judicial Review of Patent Trial and Appeal Board 
Decisions, 77 FR 48612, 48659-60 (Aug. 14, 2012) (noting that the 
number of claims often impacts the complexity of the request and 
increases the demands placed on the deciding officials in 
administrative proceedings). Thus, the Office is adopting excess claims 
fee amounts that are aimed to permit applicants to include excess 
claims when necessary to obtain an appropriate scope of coverage for an 
invention, while deterring applicants from routinely presenting a 
copious number of claims merely for apparent tactical reasons.
    In this final rule, the Office sets the fees for independent claims 
in excess of three to $420, for claims in excess of 20 to $80, and for 
multiple dependent claims to $780. The Office also increased claim fees 
to facilitate an efficient and compact application examination process, 
which benefits the applicant and the USPTO through more effective 
administration of patent prosecution. Filing applications with the most 
prudent number of unambiguous claims will enable prompt conclusion of 
application processing, because more succinct applications facilitate 
faster examination with an expectation of fewer errors.
    Correct Inventorship After First Action on the Merits (New):

                   Table 34--Correct Inventorship After First Action on the Merits Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Correct Inventorship After First Action                NEW              $600               N/A               N/A
 on the Merits (NEW)....................                              ($300)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                                      [$150]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It is necessary for the Office to know who the inventors are to 
prepare patent application publications, conduct examination under 35 
U.S.C. 102 and 103, and prevent double patenting. Changes to 
inventorship (e.g., adding previously unnamed persons as inventors or 
removing persons previously named as inventors) cause additional work 
for the Office. For instance, the Office may need to repeat prior art 
searches and/or reconsider patentability under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103, 
as well as reconsider the possibility of double patenting.
    In the NPRM, the Office proposed a $1,000 fee to correct 
inventorship after the first action on the merits. In this final rule, 
after carefully considering comments from the PPAC and the public, the 
Office sets the fee to correct inventorship after the first action on 
the merits at $600, 40 percent less than the $1,000 proposed in the 
NPRM. The inventorship correction fee is set to encourage reasonable 
diligence and a bona fide effort to ascertain the actual inventorship 
as early as possible and to provide that information to the Office 
prior to examination. The fee also will help offset the costs incurred 
by the Office when there is a change in inventorship.
    Additionally, in the NPRM, the Office proposed that the correction 
of inventorship fee be paid in all circumstances when inventors were 
added or deleted, because requiring the fee only to add inventors would 
encourage applicants to err in favor of naming too many persons as 
inventors, which would complicate the examination process (e.g., it 
could complicate double patenting searches). In this final rule, the 
Office is adding an exception when inventors are deleted due to the 
cancellation of claims. This final rule requires a fee to accompany a 
request to correct or change the inventorship filed after an Office 
action on the merits, unless the request is accompanied by a statement 
that the request to correct or change the inventorship is due solely to 
the cancelation of claims in the application.
    The Office appreciates that inventorship may change as the result 
of a restriction requirement by the Office. Where inventorship changes 
as a result of a restriction requirement, the applicant should file a 
request to correct inventorship promptly (prior to first action on the 
merits) to avoid this fee. Otherwise, the Office will incur the costs 
during examination related to the change in inventorship.
    Derivation Proceeding:

                                   Table 35--Derivation Proceeding Fee Changes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derivation petition fee.................              $400              $400                $0                0%
                                                     (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A derivation proceeding is a new trial proceeding conducted at the 
PTAB to determine whether an inventor named in an earlier application 
derived the claimed invention from an inventor named in the 
petitioner's application, and whether the earlier application claiming 
such invention was authorized. An applicant subject to the first-
inventor-to-file provisions may file a petition to institute a 
derivation proceeding only within one year of the

[[Page 4240]]

first publication of a claim to an invention that is the same or 
substantially the same as the earlier application's claim to the 
invention. The petition must be supported by substantial evidence that 
the claimed invention was derived from an inventor named in the 
petitioner's application.
    In this final rule, the Office sets the derivation petition fee at 
$400. The Office estimates the $400 petition fee will recover the 
Office's cost to process a petition for derivation.
    Assignments Submitted Electronically Fee (New):

                         Table 36--Fee Changes for Assignments Submitted Electronically
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Current fees       Final fees       Dollar change    Percent change
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
             Fee description               Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)    Large  (small)
                                           [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity   [micro]  entity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assignments Submitted Electronically                   $40                $0              -$40             -100%
 (NEW)..................................             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
Assignments Not Submitted Electronically               $40               $40                $0                0%
 (NEW)..................................             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)             (N/A)
                                                     [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]             [N/A]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The current fee amount is $40 for submitting an assignment to the Office, regardless of method of
 submission.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ownership of a patent gives the patent owner the right to exclude 
others from making, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing 
into the U.S. the invention claimed in a patent. Patent law provides 
for the transfer or sale of a patent, or of an application for patent, 
by an instrument in writing (i.e., an assignment). When executing an 
assignment, the patent owner may assign (e.g., transfer) the total or a 
percentage of interest, rights, and title of a patent to an assignee. 
When there is a completed assignment, the assignee becomes the owner of 
the patent and has the same rights of the original patentee. The Office 
records assignments that it receives, and the recording serves as 
public notice of patent ownership.
    Assignment records are an important part of the business cycle--
markets operate most efficiently when buyers and sellers can locate one 
another. If assignment records are incomplete, the business and 
research and development cycles could be disrupted because buyers face 
difficulty finding sellers, and potential innovators may not have a 
thorough understanding of the marketplace they are considering 
entering. The Office recognizes that complete patent assignment data 
disseminated to the public provides certainty in the technology space 
and helps to foster innovation.
    Therefore, more complete patent assignment records will produce a 
number of benefits for the public and IP stakeholders. The public will 
have a more comprehensive understanding of which entities hold and 
maintain U.S. patent rights. Patenting inventors and companies will 
better understand the competitive environment in which they are 
operating, allowing them to better allocate their own research and 
development resources, more efficiently obtain licenses, and accurately 
value patent portfolios.
    Currently, a patent owner must pay $40 to record the assignment of 
patent rights. During FY 2012, over 90 percent of assignments were 
submitted electronically. This fee could be viewed as a barrier to 
those involved in patent and application assignments. Given that patent 
applications, patents, and the completeness of the patent record play 
an important role in the markets for innovation and the long-term 
health of the U.S. economy, the Office is setting two fees for 
recording an assignment. When an assignment is submitted using the 
Office's electronic system, the Office sets the fee at $0. When an 
assignment is sent to the Office in a manner other than using the 
Office's electronic system, the Office sets the fee at the current 
amount of $40. Providing patent prosecution options for applicants 
benefits a majority of owners who typically record assignments. In 
addition, the patent prosecution options for applicants benefit the 
overall IP system by reducing the financial barrier for recording 
patent ownership information and facilitating a more complete record of 
assigned applications and grants.

C. Fees With No Changes (or Changes of Less Than Plus or Minus 5 
Percent and 10 Dollars)

    The Office sets all other categories of fees not discussed above at 
existing fee rates or at slightly adjusted rates (i.e., less than plus 
or minus 5 percent and 10 dollars) rounded to the nearest ten dollars 
by applying standard arithmetic rules. The resulting fee amounts will 
be convenient to patent users and permit the Office to set micro entity 
fees at whole dollar amounts when applying the fee reduction. These 
other fees, such as those related to disclosing patent information to 
the public (excluding the PGPub fee) and patent attorney/agent 
discipline fees, are already set at appropriate levels to achieve the 
Office's goals expressed in this rulemaking. A listing of all fees that 
are adjusted in this rule is included in the Table of Patent Fee 
Changes available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1.

D. Overall Comparison of the Final Patent Fee Schedule to the Current 
Fees

    Overall, once effective, the total amount of fees under this final 
rule added together to obtain a basic patent decreases when compared to 
the total fees paid for the same services under the current fee 
schedule. This decrease is substantial (23 percent) from application to 
issue (see Table 37). When additional processing options such as RCEs 
are included, the decrease becomes smaller after the first RCE (12 
percent) and eventually begins increasing after a second RCE (5 
percent) (see Tables 38 and 39). The staging of appeal fees in this 
rule offers similar decreases in the total fees paid when filing a 
notice of appeal. Under the final fee schedule, the total fees for both 
filing an appeal and to obtain a basic patent decrease from the current 
fee schedule (27 percent) (see Table 40). If the appeal is forwarded to 
the PTAB for a decision after the Examiner's Answer, then the total 
fees increase (17 percent) (see Table 40). Once an applicant has 
obtained a basic patent,

[[Page 4241]]

the cost to maintain it remains substantially the same through the 
second stage maintenance fee. However, at the third stage maintenance 
fee, once the patent holder has more information on the value of the 
patent, the total fees increase (24 percent) (see Table 41). This 
structure reflects the key policy considerations of fostering 
innovation, facilitating effective administration of the patent system, 
and offering patent prosecution options to applicants. Additional 
details about each of these payment structures are outlined below. In 
this section, the Office assumes, for the purpose of comparison between 
the current and final fee schedule, that all fees are as of their 
stated effective dates in this final rule. For example, comparisons 
between the current and final issue and PGPub fees are based on the 
final fees as they will become effective beginning on January 1, 2014. 
Further, to simplify the comparison among fee schedules, the time value 
of money has not been estimated in the examples below.
1. Routine Application Processing Fees and First RCE Fees Decrease
    The total amount paid for routine fees to obtain a basic patent 
from application filing (i.e., filing, search, examination, 
publication, and issue) under the final fee structure will decrease 
compared to the current fee structure, as shown in Table 37. This 
overall decrease is possible because the decrease in pre-grant patent 
application publication and issue fees from $2,070 to $960 (a decrease 
of $1,110) more than offsets the increase in large entity filing, 
search, and examination fees from $1,260 to $1,600 (an increase of 
$340). The net effect is a $770 (or 23 percent) decrease in total fees 
paid under the final fee structure when compared to the current fee 
structure. This fosters innovation by reducing the cost to obtain a 
basic patent.

 Table 37--Comparison of Final Patent Fee Schedule to the Current Patent
                     Fees From Filing Through Issue
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Fee                           Current    Final
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing, Search, and Examination.....................    $1,260    $1,600
Pre-Grant Publication and Issue.....................     2,070       960
                                                     -------------------
  Total.............................................     3,330     2,560
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When an application for a first RCE is submitted to complete 
prosecution, the total fees from application filing to obtain a basic 
patent continue to remain less than would be paid under the current fee 
schedule. This overall decrease continues to be possible because of the 
decrease in pre-grant patent application publication and issue fees. 
The net effect of the final fee schedule, including a first RCE, is a 
$500 (or 12 percent) decrease in total fees paid under the final fee 
structure when compared to the current fee structure, as shown in Table 
38.

Table 38--Comparison of the Final Patent Fees to the Current Patent Fees
                              With One RCE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Fee                           Current    Final
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing, Search, and Examination.....................    $1,260    $1,600
First RCE...........................................       930     1,200
Pre-Grant Publication and Issue.....................     2,070       960
                                                     -------------------
  Total.............................................     4,260     3,760
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When adding a second RCE to prosecution, the total fees increase 
slightly, by $270 (or 5 percent), as shown in Table 39.

Table 39--Comparison of the Final Patent Fees to the Current Patent Fees
                              With Two RCEs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Fee                           Current    Final
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing, Search, and Examination.....................    $1,260    $1,600
First RCE...........................................       930     1,200
Second and subsequent RCE...........................       930     1,700
Pre-Grant Publication and Issue.....................     2,070       960
                                                     -------------------
  Total.............................................     5,190     5,460
------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Initial Appeals Fees Decrease
    Instead of filing an RCE, an applicant may choose to file a notice 
of appeal. When adding the notice of appeal and the brief filing fees 
(allowing the applicant to receive the Examiner's Answer) to the fees 
to obtain a basic patent, the total fees from application filing 
decrease by $1,230 (or 27 percent) from the current total fees. If the 
prosecution issues are not resolved prior to forwarding an appeal to 
the Board, the fees increase because the Office proposes to recover 
more of the appeals cost. In that instance, fees will increase by $770 
(or 17 percent) more than would be paid today for an appeal decision. 
However, under this final rule, the staging of fees allows the 
applicant to pay less than under the current fee schedule in situations 
where an application is either allowed or prosecution is reopened 
before being forwarded to the Board.

 Table 40--Comparison of the Final Patent Fees and Current Patent Fees,
                             With an Appeal
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Fee                           Current    Final
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing, Search, and Examination.....................    $1,260    $1,600
Notice of Appeal and Filing a Brief.................     1,260       800
Pre-Grant Publication and Issue.....................     2,070       960
                                                     -------------------
  Subtotal for Fees Paid Before Examiner's Answer...     4,590     3,360
Appeal Forwarding Fee...............................       NEW     2,000
                                                     -------------------
  Subtotal for Fees if Appeal is Forwarded to Board      4,590     5,360
   for Decision.....................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Maintenance Fees Increase
    When a patent holder begins maintaining an issued patent, he or she 
will pay $320 (7 percent) less than is paid under the current fee 
schedule from initial application filing through the first stage. To 
maintain the patent through second stage, a patent holder will pay $380 
(5 percent) more than is paid today under the current fee schedule. 
When a patent is maintained to full term, a patent holder will pay 
$2,970 (24 percent) more than would be paid under the current fee 
schedule. The most significant maintenance fee increase occurs after 
holding a patent for 11.5 years, which is when a patent holder will be 
in a better position to determine whether the benefit (value) from the 
patent exceeds the cost (maintenance fee) to maintain the patent.

  Table 41--Comparison of the Final Patent Fee Schedules to the Current
                          Fees, Life of Patent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Fee                           Current    Final
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing, Search, and Examination.....................    $1,260    $1,600
Pre-Grant Publication and Issue.....................     2,070       960
                                                     -------------------
  Total Through Issue...............................     3,330     2,560
First Stage Maintenance--3.5 years..................     1,150     1,600
                                                     -------------------
  Cumulative Subtotal...............................     4,480     4,160
Second Stage Maintenance--7.5 years.................     2,900     3,600
                                                     -------------------
  Cumulative Subtotal...............................     7,380     7,760

[[Page 4242]]

 
Third Stage Maintenance--11.5 years.................     4,810     7,400
                                                     -------------------
    Total Fees for Life of Patent...................    12,190    15,160
------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. Discussion of Comments

A. Patent Public Advisory Committee Fee Setting Report

    Consistent with section 10(d) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents 
Act, the PPAC submitted a written report setting forth in detail the 
comments, advice, and recommendation of the committee regarding the 
proposed fees published in the NPRM on September 24, 2012. The report 
is available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1. The Office considered the PPAC's comments, advice, 
and recommendations on fees proposed in the NPRM before setting or 
adjusting fees in this final rule, as further discussed below.
General Fee Setting Considerations
General Fee Setting Approach
    PPAC Comment 1: The PPAC commented overall that the fees included 
in the NPRM represent an improvement over the February 2012 Proposal. 
The PPAC also endorsed an increase in fees above the level set by the 
15 percent surcharge effective in 2011, recognizing that the current 
level of receipts are insufficient to allow the Office to improve 
patent operations, provide the service patent applicants deserve, and 
make critical infrastructure improvements. The PPAC stated that it 
endorses the fees in general, though it also believes some fees are 
higher than expected for an initial fee setting effort.
    Response: The USPTO appreciates the PPAC's endorsement of the 
Office's plan to set fees to meet its aggregate costs, including costs 
for implementing key strategic initiatives, such as to decrease patent 
application pendency and reduce the patent application backlog, to 
improve the quality of patent examination, and to update patent 
information technology systems that benefit both the Office and 
applicants. It is important for the Office to reduce the patent 
application backlog so that the Office can maintain an optimal patent 
application inventory that provides applicants with 10 months first 
action pendency and 20 months total pendency. These pendency goals were 
developed in consultation with patent stakeholders when the Office 
established the Strategic Plan. To meet its aggregate costs, the Office 
requires additional funds (2 percent increase in total aggregate 
revenue) beyond the amount provided by the 15 percent surcharge. With 
the increased fees, the Office will not only reduce the amount of time 
it takes to examine a patent application, but also create a sustainable 
funding model for the Office. Prior to AIA section 10 fee setting 
authority, the Office was authorized to adjust certain statutory fees 
only to reflect changes in the CPI for All Urban Consumers, and that 
limited authority did not allow the USPTO to recover increased 
processing costs or adjust to changes in demand for services related to 
those fees. The Office responds to the PPAC's comments on the amounts 
of particular fees in the sections below.
Behavioral Incentives
    PPAC Comment 2: The PPAC advised that while some use of fees to 
encourage or discourage behavior may be appropriate, significant use of 
this ability to set fees at high levels to discourage actions is not 
recommended because it is not clear that the USPTO will always take 
into consideration the factors driving applicant behavior, and because 
those factors may be at cross-purposes with particular desires of the 
USPTO. The PPAC also commented that fee structures that depart from 
strict cost recovery can engender either beneficial or perverse 
incentives to all actors within our patent system.
    Response: The Office fully and carefully considered factors 
incentivizing both applicant and Office behavior in setting the final 
patent fees. In doing so, the Office conducted considerable outreach to 
stakeholders, and made numerous changes from its February 2012 proposal 
as a result of input from stakeholders. The Office carefully explained 
its rationale and motivation in the NPRM for each fee that the Office 
proposed to change by more than 5 percent and more than ten dollars.
    Additionally, as further explained in the RIA, the Office 
considered and rejected a cost recovery fee structure because the 
Office determined that a strict, fee-by-fee based cost recovery fee 
structure would fail to foster innovation in accordance with the 
Office's fee setting strategy. The Office found that using a strict 
cost recovery model would greatly increase barriers to entry into the 
patent system because filing, search, and examination fees would 
increase significantly, resulting in a loss of private patent value due 
to a decrease in the number of patent applications filed. 
Simultaneously, maintenance fees would be set significantly lower and 
patent holders would maintain their patents longer, reducing incentives 
to release patents of minimal value into the public domain for others 
to use for follow-on invention. The Office determined that it will 
better effectuate its mission of fostering innovation by setting fees 
to recover costs in the aggregate while incentivizing compact patent 
prosecution. Where the Office deviated from cost recovery for a 
particular fee, it has fully considered the behavioral effects of such 
departures.
    PPAC Comment 3: The PPAC commented that the Office should ensure 
that applicants are not saddled with the cost of internal operational 
inefficiencies, as that may reduce the Office's incentives to improve 
its efficiency.
    Response: The Office created the final fee structure in order to 
set fees at optimal levels to improve the Office's services and to 
enhance operational efficiency. The Office also continuously reviews 
its own internal processes and behaviors to improve operational 
inefficiencies. These regular reviews of internal operations and 
behaviors were institutionalized as a priority. For example, the Office 
established a Patent Process Reengineering Team (Team) in June 2010 to 
review and evaluate pre-examination, examination, and post-examination 
processes. The Team delivered redesigned and streamlined processes--
with recommendations for improvements--to USPTO senior leadership and 
the Patents End-To-End (PE2E) software engineering team. Specifically, 
the Team produced more than 250 individual process improvement 
recommendations in the areas of: Increased electronic application 
filing and management, processing standardization and consistency (with 
both domestic and international standards), accurate and easy 
measurement of core metrics, examination quality, customer 
satisfaction, and reduced risk exposure. Where the best tool for 
improvement included information technology, the Office incorporated 
the recommendations for improved processes into the PE2E program 
development plan.
    The Office already implemented many of the Team's recommendations. 
For example, the Office gained efficiency in the terminal disclaimer 
process, resulting in pendency reduction for over 40,000 applications 
by an average of 30 days. Also, the USPTO improved internal operations 
and Office behavior through the First

[[Page 4243]]

Action Interview Pilot Program, which benefits applicants by advancing 
the prosecution of applications and enhancing the interactions between 
the applicant and examiner early in the process to facilitate a more 
compact prosecution.
    The Office will continue to evaluate all AIA and patent operational 
procedures and make efficiency improvements accordingly. In addition, 
the AIA requires the Office to consult with the PPAC annually to 
determine if any fees set using section 10(a) should be reduced. After 
such consultation, the Office may reduce fees. See AIA section 10(c). 
In the future, the Office will work with the PPAC to determine if any 
improvements in operational efficiency warrant a reduction in fees set 
or adjusted in this rulemaking.
Fee Setting Elasticity
    PPAC Comment 4: The PPAC commented that the proposed system of 
slightly raising filing, search, and examination fees while lowering 
the issue and publication fees, is sensible. The PPAC also comment that 
the balance of fees distributed between the front-end and back-end 
continues to be preserved so that the reduced front-end fees encourage 
applicants to enter the patent system. The PPAC nevertheless advised 
that raising pre-issue fees like filing, search, and examination may 
still (at the margins) discourage some otherwise meritorious patent 
filings. Based on its discussions with applicants, including large 
corporations and small and start-up entities, the PPAC anticipated some 
decrease in the demand for patent filings. The PPAC advised that 
increases in fees will strain some patenting budgets and commented that 
it continues to be concerned that fee changes will have a greater 
impact on filing and payment of maintenance fees than projected. The 
PPAC recognized that generating adequate funds is essential, yet 
advised that it must be balanced with the public policy of ensuring 
access to intellectual property coverage.
    Response: The Office appreciates the PPAC's support for this 
overall structure for fees. Although the Office shares the PPAC's 
concern about any impact of increased filing, search, and examination 
fees on the number of prospective patent applications filed, the 
Office's elasticity analysis indicates that the potential impact is 
small and that filings will likely continue to grow over the next five 
years, even if at a somewhat lesser rate than if there were no fee 
increases. Further, to the extent there is some impact on filings, the 
Office believes that the benefits of the fee changes outweigh the 
temporary cost of fewer patent filings. The additional revenue 
generated from the increase in fees will provide sufficient resources 
for the Office to reduce the backlog and decrease pendency. The 
decrease in pendency is estimated to increase private patent value by 
shortening the time for an invention to be commercialized or otherwise 
obtain value from the exclusive right for the technology.
    The Office also notes that filing, search, and examination fees are 
increased, and issue and publication fees are decreased in this final 
rule. As explained in detail in this rulemaking and the RIA, the 
filing, search, examination, publication and issue fees, once effective 
and taken together, are reduced by at least 23 percent for all 
successful applicants (with a much greater reduction for small and 
micro entity applicants), and this reduction may allow applicants on 
limited budgets to file and prosecute more patent applications under 
the new fee structure. Therefore, an applicant who expects a high 
likelihood of an application being issued may be more likely to file a 
patent application under the new fee schedule.
    As discussed above, based on economic indicators, the Office 
expects a 5.0 percent annual growth rate in filings for FY 2013 through 
FY 2017. Based on elasticity computations, the Office conservatively 
believes that the growth rate in application filings may be somewhat 
lower (compared to the rate of growth in the absence of a fee increase) 
in the first few years under this final rule. Along with this 
rulemaking and the RIA, the Office provided an estimate of elasticity 
to address whether and how applicants might be sensitive to price (fee) 
changes, and included an estimate of the impact on application filing 
levels. See ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Description of Elasticity 
Estimates'' available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1. The Office conservatively estimated that, 
initially, the fees under the final rule would cause a small decrease 
in the demand for patenting activity due to the fee adjustments (a 1.3 
percent decrease in FY 2013, a 2.7 percent decrease in FY 2014, and a 
4.0 percent decrease in FY 2015-FY 2017). Even with these short term 
decreases at the margin, the Office still expects to receive an 
increasing number of new (serialized) application filings during later 
years. The Office has projected that it will take in sufficient 
revenue, despite the elasticity of some fees, to recover aggregate 
costs under the final fee schedule.
    PPAC Comment 5: In reviewing the Office's experience with ``Track 
1,'' the PPAC noted that fewer applicants participated in that program 
than originally anticipated. The PPAC cautioned that the Track 1 
experience seems relevant to the new programs under the AIA, and that 
the Office's elasticity assumptions may be overly optimistic.
    Response: Track 1 created a new and optional expedited examination 
service for certain applicants who were willing to pay an extra fee. 
The Office considered the effects of the Track 1 fee levels on 
applicants' use of that service in its analysis of the fees in this 
rulemaking. The Track 1 program experience is only of limited 
usefulness when considering elasticity of fees in this final rule. 
Unlike core application services, the Track 1 service is optional for 
applicants. The Track 1 fee level was set by Section 11(h) of the AIA 
and implemented by a rule that reflected that statutory provision. 
Ordinarily for elasticity estimates about a service, there would need 
to be some change in price and some observation about demand in the 
face of that price change. With only one data point so far (the initial 
fee set by the AIA), it is difficult to extrapolate meaningful 
elasticity estimates from the Track 1 program to date.
Operating Reserve
    PPAC Comment 6: The PPAC agreed that the creation of an operating 
reserve is a sound business practice to allow for continuity of service 
and the ability to complete long-term plans more effectively and 
efficiently. The PPAC also commented that three months seems to be a 
good size for the reserve. The PPAC, nevertheless, expressed concern 
that access to spend all generated funds, as a part of the annual 
appropriations process, is not assured under the AIA. The PPAC 
recommended that the Office continue to grow the operating reserve 
gradually, while also allowing for a longer period to monitor 
Congressional support.
    Response: The Office agrees with the PPAC that having an operating 
reserve is a sound and needed business practice. The Government 
Accountability Office's (GAO's) review of the USPTO's fee setting 
process (reported to the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations) 
also substantiated the need for maintaining an operating reserve. The 
GAO found that it ``is consistent with our previous reporting that an 
operating reserve is important for fee-funded programs to match fee 
collections to average program costs over time and because

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program costs do not necessarily decline with a drop in fee 
collections.'' (See New User Fee Design Presents Opportunities to Build 
on Transparency and Communication Success, GAO-12-514R (Apr. 25, 2012) 
available at https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-514R.) An operating 
reserve promotes confidence in the United States IP system by providing 
a mechanism to absorb and respond to temporary changes in the economy 
and USPTO's operating and financial environments. Without an operating 
reserve, agencies can be unnecessarily thrown into short-term cash flow 
stress like that which the USPTO experienced in FY 2009 due to the 
economic recession and in FY 2010 due to the delay in the authorization 
of spending authority for the fees collected from patent applicants 
during the rebound from FY 2009.
    An operating reserve consists of funds already available for the 
USPTO to spend. Congress has already appropriated the money in USPTO's 
operating reserve, and therefore no additional appropriation is 
required for USPTO to use the operating reserve. Thus, the operating 
reserve is available to ameliorate the short-term problem of under-
collection in a given year.
    The Office also agrees with the PPAC that it is prudent to grow 
this three-month operating reserve in a gradual manner. The fee 
structure in this final rule seeks to achieve that prudent growth by 
extending the period of growth by another year (to FY 2018), as 
compared to the timeframe proposed in the September NPRM (FY 2017). 
This extension of the time period for growing the operating reserve is 
the result of reducing fee amounts in the final rule in response to 
comments from the PPAC and the public and is consistent with the number 
of patent examiners the Office plans to hire in FY 2013 to achieve a 
``soft landing'' with respect to the patent application inventory and 
workforce level as discussed further in the response to PPAC Comment 7.
    Finally, as to whether the USPTO will be able to spend all funds 
collected in excess of the USPTO's specified annual overall 
appropriation amount, Section 22 of the AIA provides that such 
collections are deposited in a new Patent and Trademark Fee Reserve 
Fund (created by the AIA) that is available to the USPTO subject to 
procedures provided in appropriations acts. In any given year, if the 
USPTO collects fees beyond the specified annual overall appropriated 
amount, those fees will be deposited into the Patent and Trademark Fee 
Reserve Fund. In fiscal year 2012 (the first full year after AIA), the 
USPTO appropriations bill included procedures permitting it to spend 
fees deposited in the Patent and Trademark Fee Reserve Fund. The Office 
has no reason to believe the same will not hold true for fiscal year 
2013 and beyond. The Office will continue to work closely with Congress 
to ensure full access to fees paid by patent applicants and patentees, 
consistent with the AIA.
Pendency Goals
    PPAC Comment 7: The PPAC commented that it supports decreasing 
pendency, and stated that while the proposed decreased pendency times 
are laudable, there is nothing magical about the pendency timeframes 
(i.e., 10 months first action pendency and 20 months total pendency). 
For future years, the PPAC advised that it will be important to reach a 
properly balanced inventory level of patent applications pending at the 
Office that is appropriate for the workforce level. The inventory 
should be low enough to achieve desired decreased pendency and high 
enough to accommodate potential fluctuations in application filings, 
retention of examiners, and changes in RCE filings stemming from the 
programs being instituted by the USPTO. The PPAC refers to this desired 
end state as a ``soft landing.''
    Response: Optimizing patent quality and timely issuance of patents 
provides greater legal certainty. The longer it takes to review a 
patent application, the longer it takes for the benefit of the IP 
protection to accrue. Failure to complete the examination in a timely 
manner creates uncertainty regarding the scope and timing of any IP 
rights. This not only impacts patent applicants, but it also has a 
negative impact on other innovators and businesses in that field that 
are awaiting the outcome of the pending application.
    As the IP environment becomes increasingly global, applicants are 
increasing their foreign patent application filings in multiple 
countries. Obtaining a first action about 10 months from filing 
provides patent applicants with important information about the status 
of their application so that they can determine whether to file in 
other countries before the expiration of the 12-month date to maintain 
priority. This leads to more strategic patent application filings and 
reduces user resources spent on unnecessary filings in patent offices 
worldwide.
    The USPTO worked closely with stakeholders and responded to their 
concerns in establishing the targets of 10 months first action pendency 
and 20 months total pendency in the Strategic Plan. The PPAC gave its 
support to these pendency timeframes in their 2009 Annual Report, which 
commended then Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Under Secretary and 
Director David Kappos for their efforts to reduce first action pendency 
to ten months. PPAC likewise indicated in its report that the PPAC 
would like to work with the Office and the innovation community to 
reduce overall pendency to twenty months as the ultimate goal with 
reasonable intermediate targets and timelines.
    The Office has a long-term plan to reduce the patent application 
backlog to a steady-state of about 350,000 unexamined applications, and 
to decrease first action patent application pendency to 10 months and 
total patent application pendency to 20 months. The Office agrees with 
the PPAC regarding the need for a ``soft landing'' when planning for 
these goals in the out years. The Office is very aware that as the 
patent application backlog and pendency drop, it is important to ensure 
that the Office reaches the right balance of application inventory and 
staff size. The Office has considered the PPAC's comment and 
reevaluated its long-term plan, recognizing the substantial progress 
and efficiencies made to date and taking into account historically low 
attrition rates, higher production levels, and the need to ensure that 
continued backlog progress does not result in inventory levels 
decreasing to a point where there is inadequate work on hand for some 
employees. Thus, as an initial measure, the Office is reducing the 
number of patent examiners it plans to hire in FY 2013 from 1,500 to 
1,000. This change substantially reduces the risk of excessively low 
inventory, yet also increases the possibility that it will take longer 
to reach the ideal inventory and pendency levels. Under this approach, 
patent production modeling indicates conservatively that the reduction 
in hiring may cause ideal inventory levels to occur in FY 2016 and 
patent application pendency targets for first action and total by FY 
2016 and FY 2017, respectively. In response to comments and in an 
abundance of caution, the Office is thus changing the timeframe in 
which it estimates it will reach its ideal patent application inventory 
target to FY 2016, first action patent application pendency target to 
FY 2016, and the total patent application pendency target to FY 2017. 
The Office recognizes that this adjustment keeps the Office on track 
for meeting its goals while further avoiding any risk of excessively 
low inventory.
    PPAC Comment 8: The PPAC noted that a pendency timeframe of 10 
months to first action and 20 months total pendency may result in 
applicants and

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examiners not being aware of some prior art at the time of the first 
office action on the merits. As a result, the PPAC stated that the 
Office might incorrectly issue a patent.
    Response: Prior to 2000, the Office did not routinely publish 
pending patent applications, and instead only publicly disclosed 
pending applications under special circumstances. Since 2000, the 
Office has generally published applications 18 months from their 
earliest effective filing date. See 35 U.S.C. 122(b).
    As noted in the response to the PPAC Comment 7, the first action 
pendency and total pendency goals at 10 months and 20 months, 
respectively, were developed in consultation with patent stakeholders 
when the Office established the Strategic Plan. The Office appreciates 
that a pendency goal of 10 months to first action may result in some 
prior art (in the form of other applications) being published after 
issuing the first Office action in a particular application. However, 
prior to the adoption of 18-month publication in 2000, the Office 
examined applications knowing that the full range of potential prior 
art might not yet be available. And with the adoption of 18-month 
publication, the only way the Office could avoid examining an 
application before all applicable prior art had been published would be 
to delay examination until after eighteen months from the priority date 
of any potentially relevant application and/or revise 35 U.S.C. 122(b) 
to eliminate the exceptions to 18-month publication. These are not 
feasible options. Moreover, the risk of missing relevant prior art is 
lessened because many applications are published in fewer than 18 
months because the 18-month publication deadline is computed from the 
earliest filed application, and many applications are outgrowths of an 
earlier filed application. Because there is general support from the 
Office's stakeholders on both decreasing pendency generally and the 10 
month goal specifically, notwithstanding a limited risk of some prior 
art not being known publicly, the Office has thus decided to maintain 
10 months as the targeted date of a first Office action.
Individual Fee Categories
Prioritized Examination
    PPAC Comment 9: The PPAC commented that the Office's efforts to 
make the Track 1 option more accessible to applicants by lowering the 
fee is an encouraging step, but advises that the Office should closely 
monitor demand for Track 1 applications and offer additional downward 
fee adjustments to determine the optimal fee rate and improve access to 
this service.
    Response: The Office will continue to monitor the demand for the 
Track 1 prioritized examination program to see if the demand increases 
with the decrease in the fee. At the same time, the Office will 
continue to monitor the pendency associated with the traditional 
examination path to ensure that any potential changes in the demand for 
the Track 1 prioritized examination program do not impact the pendency 
for the traditional examination path. The fee for the prioritized 
examination program is intended to closely recover the cost of the 
program so as not to impact the level of examination resources of the 
traditional ``track.''
Request for Continued Examination (RCE)
    PPAC Comment 10: The PPAC expressed a variety of operational 
concerns about the way the Office perceives and handles RCEs as part of 
the patent prosecution process. The PPAC advised that: (i) There are 
incentives on both sides to file RCEs (applicants continue to need to 
achieve allowance, examiners get further (albeit reduced) counts for 
RCE prosecution, and the pendency of RCEs is not included in the 
traditional pendency numbers); and (ii) the increasing backlog of RCEs 
generates further patent term adjustments for a large number of 
applicants. The PPAC recommended that the Office consider these factors 
as it considers any proposed increase in RCE fees. These concerns also 
underlie the PPAC's comment that RCE fees set too high may 
disincentivize the Office to improve its efficiency. The PPAC 
recommended that a small increase in the fee for an RCE might be 
appropriate, but the fee should align more closely with the Office's 
associated costs and the fee should be less than the fees for new or 
continuing applications. The PPAC further recommended that the higher 
fee for second and subsequent RCEs should be reduced because these RCEs 
are easier and cheaper to examine and any number of continuations may 
be filed at the same cost per continuation. The PPAC finally 
recommended that the USPTO should continue to find ways to reduce 
applicants' need for RCEs, rather than increase fees for filing an RCE.
    Response: The Office appreciates the PPAC's comments about the 
operational aspects of RCEs, and looks forward to continuing to work 
with the PPAC on potential operational improvements. In setting the 
proposed fee levels, the Office determined that approximately 70 
percent of applicants that file an RCE file only one RCE. The first RCE 
fee ($1,200 for large entities) was set at a level lower than both the 
average historic cost of performing the services associated with an RCE 
($1,882) and the fee for filing a continuing application ($1,600 for 
large entities), as well as much lower than the average historic cost 
of services associated with examining a new patent application 
($3,713). Because the Office set the fee for the first RCE below the 
cost to process it, the Office must recoup that cost elsewhere. Since 
most applicants resolve their issues with the first RCE, the Office 
determined that applicants that file more than one RCE are using the 
patent system more extensively than those who file zero or only one 
RCE. Therefore, the Office determined that the cost to review 
applications with two or more RCEs should not be subsidized with other 
back-end fees to the same extent as applications with a first RCE, 
newly filed applications, or other continuing applications. 
Nevertheless, the fee set for the second and subsequent RCE ($1,700 for 
large entities) is still lower than the average historic cost of the 
Office processing an RCE ($1,882), thus retaining the Office's 
incentives to work toward additional examination efficiencies, 
consistent with the PPAC's comments.
    Regarding the relationship between RCEs and continuing 
applications, the Office did not include a second, higher fee for 
second and subsequent continuing applications because RCEs and 
continuing applications are not completely interchangeable. The Office 
increased the fee for second and subsequent RCEs ($1,700 for large 
entities) to recover the cost associated with processing more than one 
RCE and to keep the fee sufficiently close to the filing, search, and 
examination fee for a continuing application ($1,600 for large 
entities). The Office determined that the fee differential between a 
continuing application and a second and subsequent RCE ($100) would 
likely not be a significant factor in an applicant's choice between a 
second or subsequent RCE and a continuing application, and instead the 
differing characteristics in the two types of continuing applications 
would be the overriding factor in whether the applicant files an RCE or 
a continuing application. Moreover, RCEs are not subject to excess 
claims or excess page fees. Thus, RCEs may cost less than continuations 
in many instances.
    While an RCE may be less costly to examine than a new continuing 
application in certain situations, the

[[Page 4246]]

patent fee structure is designed such that the costs associated with 
the processing and examination of a new or continuing application are 
also recovered by issue and maintenance fees, allowing for lower than 
cost recovery continuing application fee amounts. The Office continued 
this subsidization design with the fee for a first RCE. In fact, the 
fee for a first RCE ($1,200 for large entities) is set at 75 percent 
($1,200 divided by $1,600) of the total fees for filing, search, and 
examination set herein. This fee relationship is the same as exists in 
the current fee structure because an RCE fee is 74 percent of the total 
fees for filing, search, and examination ($930 divided by $1,260). To 
avoid charging higher issue and maintenance fees to offset the cost of 
processing second and subsequent RCEs, the fees for those RCEs are 
instead set closer to cost recovery. Increasing the issue and/or 
maintenance fees to offset lower than cost recovery second and 
subsequent RCEs would cause the majority of filers (who do not seek 
more than one RCE) to subsidize services provided to the small minority 
of filers who seek two or more RCEs. The Office does not believe such 
subsidization would be an optimal result.
    The Office understands the PPAC's operational point that a higher 
inventory and longer pendency of RCEs could generate additional PTA. 
The Office notes that the RCE fees set in this rule will generate the 
revenue necessary to reduce inventory and pendency levels overall so as 
to potentially reduce the amount of PTA earned.
    Regarding the variety of operational concerns that centered on 
examination practices associated with second office actions and final 
rejections, second office actions in current practice are not 
automatically made final. In an instance where the examiner introduces 
a new ground of rejection that is neither necessitated by applicant's 
amendment of the claims nor based on information submitted in an 
information disclosure statement filed during the period set forth in 
37 CFR 1.97(c) with the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p), another non 
final action is appropriate. If the applicant receives a final action 
that they believe to be premature, the question should be raised to the 
examiner and/or supervisory patent examiner (SPE) while the application 
is still pending before the primary examiner. The issue of whether a 
final rejection is premature is not sufficient grounds for appeal, or 
basis of complaint before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. It is 
rather reviewable by petition under 37 CFR 1.181. Additionally, the 
applicant has the option to request an interview with the examiner, 
consistent with MPEP 713, and to request a review of identified matters 
on appeal in an appeal conference prior to the filing of an appeal 
brief.
    Regarding pendency calculations, the Office presents multiple 
application pendency numbers on the Patent Dashboard in the USPTO Data 
Visualization Center at https://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml. There, the Office publishes traditional total pendency 
both with and without RCEs, as well as the pendency for RCEs alone. The 
Office also publishes the backlog for RCEs. The Office presents data on 
the growth in RCE filings, the inventory of RCEs, and the pendency 
associated with RCEs. The USPTO is continuing efforts to reduce the 
number of situations in which applicants might be required to file RCEs 
to address the existing backlog of pending unexamined RCEs. The USPTO 
initiated two new pilot programs--the AFCP and the QPIDS Pilots--as a 
means to reduce RCE filings (see https://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/index.jsp). While it is still too early to predict the 
effectiveness of these programs, short-term analysis has shown that 
each pilot is already having a positive impact on reducing the need to 
file a RCE.
    In addition to these on-going efforts, the USPTO is continuing 
training efforts to emphasize compact prosecution practices such as 
interview training. The USPTO is also collaborating with the PPAC on an 
RCE outreach effort. The objective of this initiative is to identify 
reasons for filing RCEs, identify practices for avoiding unnecessary 
RCEs, and explore new programs or changes in current programs that 
could reduce the need for RCEs. As a part of this effort, the Office 
recently issued a request for comments on RCE practice in the Federal 
Register (see 77 FR 72830 (Dec. 6, 2012)). This multi-step approach to 
address stakeholder concerns with respect to RCE practice is directed 
at reducing patent application pendency, including the impact of RCEs 
on such pendency.
Appeals
    PPAC Comment 11: The PPAC commented that the Office's elimination 
of the fee for the submission of a brief is a positive step forward. 
The PPAC otherwise commented that appeal fees in general are too high 
given that some applicants must file an appeal due to examination 
problems. The PPAC also commented that a Notice of Appeal is frequently 
utilized as an extension of time and that the Office should set the fee 
to recognize this usage. The PPAC also commented that in some instances 
applicants are forced to pay extensions of time or file a notice of 
appeal due to slow Office treatment of an after final submission. The 
PPAC recommended lowering the Notice of Appeal fee to around its 
current post-surcharge amount (for example $750), and charging the 
increased amount for forwarding the brief to the Board.
    Response: The Office appreciates the PPAC's support for eliminating 
the fee for submitting an appeal brief. Also, the Office is 
implementing the PPAC's recommendation for lowering the Notice of 
Appeal fee in this final rule. The Office is lowering the fee for a 
Notice of Appeal to $800 (large entity) from the $1,000 (large entity) 
proposed in the NPRM and the Office will leave the fee for forwarding 
an appeal to the PTAB at the originally proposed $2,000 (large entity). 
Given the high cost to the Office of the appeals process, the fee 
adjustments are necessary to decrease the gap between cost of the 
appeal service and fee in order to improve the financial sustainability 
of the Office. As appeals are sometimes necessary due to differences of 
opinion between an applicant and the examiner, the Office has coupled 
the higher fees with a new staged fee structure to ease the cost impact 
on applicants when prosecution is reopened following submission of the 
appeal brief. The Office estimates that about two-thirds of applicants 
who appeal final rejections will pay only the $800 (large entity) 
notice of appeal fee, which is less than would be paid in the same 
situation under the current fee structure ($1,260 for large entities). 
The Office likewise estimates that only one-third of applicants who 
appeal final rejections will pay the additional $2,000 appeal 
forwarding fee, which, in total with the notice of appeal fees ($800 
plus $2,000 equals $2,800), is 43 percent less than the average 
historical cost of providing appeal services ($4,922). The Office 
recognizes that total fees to receive an appeal decision from the PTAB 
will more than double. However, the Office estimates that less than 5 
percent of applicants who receive final rejections will be paying both 
the notice of appeal and the appeal forwarding fee.
    Regarding appeals being filed due to examination problems, in the 
appeals decided on their merits by the PTAB, over 65 percent result in 
affirmance of at least some of the rejected claims (see https://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/bpai/stats/receipts/fy2012_sep_e.jsp). This 
data demonstrates that the PTAB is affirming a larger percentage of 
rejected claims than it reverses. The Office

[[Page 4247]]

believes that the affirmance rate would be much lower if there were 
significant problems with the examination process.
    Likewise, Office data shows there is not a large problem with the 
timely treatment of an after final submission. During FY 2012, after 
final amendments were acted upon by the Office in an average of 8.8 
days, and only 4.6 percent took over four weeks to be addressed. In 
fact, 60 percent of after final amendments were addressed within one 
week. Also, if an applicant files a response to a final rejection 
within two months of the date of the final rejection, the shortened 
statutory period will expire at three months from the date of the final 
rejection or on the date the advisory action is mailed, whichever is 
later, thus minimizing the need for any extensions.
    PPAC Comment 12: The PPAC recommended that the Office enhance its 
provisions for resolution of problems in the examination of 
applications. For example, the PPAC recommended that the Office permit 
real-time applicant participation in pre-appeal brief conferences or a 
more robust ombudsman or SPE review of cases.
    Response: The internal processes for conducting both pre-appeal and 
appeal conferences are undergoing an in-depth internal review. The 
Office is currently evaluating process improvement recommendations. In 
the meantime, the current process addresses some of the comments raised 
by the PPAC. For example, a Technology Center-designated conferee, a 
SPE, and the examiner participate in pre-appeal or appeal conferences 
to review the applicant's remarks and the examiner's rejections. In 
addition, when the Patents Ombudsman Program receives an inquiry from 
an applicant/attorney/agent regarding a legitimate problem in the 
prosecution of an application, an Ombudsman Representative in the 
Technology Center (TC) handling that application will request that the 
SPE review the application with particular attention on the issue 
raised. As appropriate, a Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS) in that TC 
also might get involved at the request of the SPE. Once the SPE has 
reviewed the application, he/she will close the loop directly with the 
applicant/attorney/agent who initiated the inquiry.
Ex Parte Reexamination
    PPAC Comment 13: The PPAC noted that the fee for an ex parte 
reexamination increased significantly, from $2,520 to $17,750, and was 
proposed to be reduced to $15,000 in the NRPM. The PPAC questioned why 
the Office did not see the disparity between costs and fees for ex 
parte reexamination earlier, and work with Congress to correct the 
disparity.
    Response: The ex parte reexamination fees were adjusted on a cost 
recovery basis in the supplemental examination final rule using 
authority in 35 U.S.C. 41(d) because fees for this new AIA service were 
required to be in place one year from the AIA's enactment (September 
16, 2012), and because the Office would not finish with the section 10 
rulemaking by that date. (See Changes to Implement the Supplemental 
Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to 
Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR at 48831 and 48851). Given that 
supplemental examination and ex parte reexamination are such closely 
related services, the Office elected to adjust the fee for filing a 
request for ex parte reexamination and to set a fee for petitions filed 
in ex parte and inter partes reexamination proceedings to more 
accurately reflect the cost of these processes when it set the fees for 
supplemental examination. The Office has been aware of the disparity 
between its costs for conducting ex parte reexamination and the former 
ex parte reexamination fee for a number of years. The Office, however, 
wanted to ensure that this disparity was not unique to one or a few 
fiscal years before moving to adjust reexamination fees. Accordingly, 
the Office did not seek to adjust the ex parte reexamination fees 
earlier.
    PPAC Comment 14: The PPAC questioned why ex parte reexamination has 
a high cost when it is a procedure with minimal processes (for example, 
it involves no testimony and no interaction with third parties). The 
PPAC noted that the cost [fee] for reviewing the petition ($1,800) is 
higher than the proposed fee for the entire initial examination 
($1,600) and commented that the costs related to all aspects of the ex 
parte reexamination process seem high. The PPAC recommended that there 
should be ways to provide for more straight forward decision-making and 
streamline the review process to lower costs.
    Response: Petitions in reexamination proceedings generally involve 
issues of greater complexity and greater number of issues than other 
patent-related petitions. See Changes to Implement the Supplemental 
Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to 
Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR at 48837. As a result, these 
proceedings are more expensive on average for the Office to administer. 
Nonetheless, after updating the patent operating plans and 
corresponding aggregate costs in response to public comments, the 
Office determined it could reduce the ex parte reexamination fee while 
continuing to ensure that the aggregate revenue equals aggregate cost. 
In this final rule, the Office is reducing the fee for ex parte 
reexamination (proposed at a total of $15,000 for large entities) to 
$12,000 (large entity), which is 32 percent below the Office's cost for 
these services. The Office also notes that this rulemaking applies 
small and micro entity reductions to the ex parte reexamination fee, 
resulting in discounts of 50 percent for small entities and 75 percent 
for micro entity patentees.
    PPAC Comment 15: The PPAC advised that the Office should construct 
a more streamlined, pay-as-you-go approach to reexamination. The PPAC 
recommended that the Office break the ex parte reexamination fee into 
two parts: (1) Petition; and (2) reexamination. If nonpayment for 
reexamination following the grant of a petition is a concern, the PPAC 
recommended several methods to ensure that the Office receives payment.
    Response: The ex parte reexamination fee is in essence a two-part 
fee: (1) Part of the ex parte reexamination fee helps to recover the 
costs for analyzing the request and drafting the decision whether to 
grant or deny ex parte reexamination; this is based on the fee set 
forth in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(7) for a denied request for ex parte 
reexamination ($3,600, $1,800 for a small entity, and $900 for a micro 
entity patentee); and (2) the remaining part of the fee helps to 
recover the costs for conducting ex parte reexamination if the request 
for ex parte reexamination is granted; this is based on the ex parte 
reexamination fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(1) less the fee set forth 
in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(7) for a denied request for ex parte reexamination 
($12,000 less $3,600 or $8,400 for a large entity; $6,000 less $1,800 
or $4,200 for a small entity; and $3,000 less $900 or $2,100 for a 
micro entity patentee). Rather than adopt a pay-as-you-go approach in 
ex parte reexamination, the Office adopted a process of charging the 
total fee up front and then refunding the balance of the fee if the 
request for ex parte reexamination is denied. This approach avoids the 
delays and complications of collecting a separate fee for conducting ex 
parte reexamination if the request for ex parte reexamination is 
granted. While PPAC's other payment collection suggestions may be 
valid, the Office's historical approach of collecting the full fee in 
advance, and issuing refunds as needed, completely avoids the delays 
and risks related to nonpayment of fees following the grant of a 
request for ex

[[Page 4248]]

parte reexamination and helps ensure efficient processing of an ex 
parte reexamination.
Supplemental Examination
    PPAC Comment 16: The PPAC commented that the fees for supplemental 
examinations are too high. The PPAC questioned the Office's underlying 
cost assumptions, suggesting that the basis of the estimate should have 
been limited to patentee-initiated reexaminations, not all ex parte 
reexaminations. The PPAC recommended that the Office publish estimates 
of historic costs for patentee-initiated reexaminations for comparison 
purposes.
    Response: The supplemental examination fees were set on a cost 
recovery basis in the final rule to implement supplemental examination. 
See Changes to Implement the Supplemental Examination Provisions of the 
Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 
48828 (Aug. 14, 2012). The supplemental examination final rule adopted 
fees for supplemental examination as follows: (1) $5,140 for processing 
and treating a request for supplemental examination; (2) $16,120 for 
conducting ex parte reexamination ordered as a result of a supplemental 
examination; (3) $170 for each non-patent document between 21 and 50 
pages in length; and (4) $280 for each additional 50-page increment or 
a fraction thereof, per document. See id. at 48831 and 48851. The cost 
calculations relating to the supplemental examination final rule were 
published by the Office (``Cost Calculations for Supplemental 
Examination and Reexamination'') at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/patents.jsp#heading-9. The Office does not separately 
track the time taken by the examiners to process and analyze patentee-
initiated ex parte reexaminations versus third party-requested ex parte 
reexaminations. The Office determined via consultation with the Central 
Reexamination Unit (CRU) managers that the examiner time required for 
patentee-initiated requests and third party-requested ex parte 
reexaminations is about the same, and thus the costs to the Office for 
either type of request for ex parte reexamination are about the same. 
See page 13 of ``Cost Calculations for Supplemental Examination and 
Reexamination''.
    The NPRM proposed to adjust supplemental examination fees to 
reduce, below full cost recovery, both the fee for processing and 
treating a request for supplemental examination and the fee for 
conducting ex parte reexamination ordered as a result of a supplemental 
examination, in total by 16 percent. After updating the patent 
operating plans and corresponding aggregate costs in response to public 
comments, the Office determined it could reduce the supplemental 
examination fee further while continuing to ensure that the aggregate 
revenue equals aggregate cost. In this final rule, the Office is 
reducing the large entity fee for conducting ex parte reexamination 
ordered as a result of a supplemental examination (proposed at $13,600) 
to $12,100. Therefore, this final rule sets the total fees for 
supplemental examination at $16,500 ($4,400 for processing and treating 
a request for supplemental examination plus the $12,100, excluding any 
applicable document size fees), which is 23 percent below the Office's 
cost for these services. Any reductions beyond this level would require 
increases to other fee(s) to ensure the overall fee structure provides 
cost recovery in the aggregate. This rulemaking also sets forth small 
(50 percent) and micro entity (75 percent) reductions to all of the 
supplemental examination fees.
    PPAC Comment 17: The PPAC recommended that a pay-per-reference 
system for each reference over twelve submitted in a supplemental 
examination request would be more effective than the currently proposed 
maximum reference rule. The PPAC also recommended that the Office 
should permit a patentee one supplemental examination request per 
issued patent, regardless of the number of references submitted.
    Response: The procedures governing the supplemental examination 
process provided for in the AIA were adopted in the supplemental 
examination final rule. See Changes to Implement the Supplemental 
Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to 
Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 48828 (Aug. 14, 2012). As explained in 
that rule, the Office placed a limit on the number of items of 
information that may be submitted with a request for supplemental 
examination because the Office must conclude a supplemental examination 
within three months of the date on which the request for supplemental 
examination is filed. The Office set the limit at twelve items of 
information because ninety-three percent of the requests for ex parte 
reexamination filed in FY 2011 included twelve or fewer documents. See 
Changes to Implement the Supplemental Examination Provisions of the 
Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 
at 48830. This rulemaking addresses only the fee for supplemental 
examination (reducing it by 23 percent and adding a small entity 
discount of 50 percent and a micro entity discount of 75 percent), and 
does not propose to change the requirements for a request for 
supplemental examination, such as the number of items of information 
that may be included in a request for supplemental examination.
    PPAC Comment 18: The PPAC commented that many in the applicant 
community view supplemental examination as akin to reviews of 
information disclosure statements (IDSs) after a final rejection. With 
that usage in mind, the PPAC recommended that the fees for supplemental 
examination be reduced to levels similar to original examination fees.
    Response: The Office determined that the supplemental examination 
process is more analogous to an ex parte reexamination process than a 
review of an IDS after a final rejection. In both supplemental 
examination and ex parte reexamination, the Office must determine 
whether a substantial new question of patentability is raised in the 
request within three months of the filing date of the request. 
Supplemental examination, however, is further enhanced to involve the 
review of information in addition to the patents and printed 
publications provided for in ex parte reexamination practice. 
Therefore, in the supplemental examination final rule, the Office based 
its estimate of the cost of supplemental examination proceedings on its 
costs for ex parte reexamination proceedings.
Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, and Covered Business Methods 
Review
    PPAC Comment 19: The PPAC commented that the new inter partes 
review, post-grant review, and covered business method review request 
and institution fees are the right balance between cost recovery and 
incentive for use. The PPAC supported the Office's decision to set 
these fees at the proposed rates, even though the PPAC received several 
public comments suggesting that high fees would lessen the use of these 
proceedings to remove improperly granted patents from the patent 
system. The PPAC commented that it supports the USPTO's decision to 
break the fee into two parts, but advises the Office to consider a more 
granular pay-as-you-go approach.
    Response: The Office appreciates the PPAC's support for the inter 
partes review, post-grant review, and covered business method review 
fee rates. The AIA requires that the Office establish

[[Page 4249]]

fees for inter partes review, post-grant review, and covered business 
method review to be paid by the person requesting the review. The fees 
paid by the person requesting the review are to be set considering the 
aggregate costs of the review. The statutory framework requires the 
full fee to be paid in advance and refunds issued as needed. Therefore, 
the Office is not instituting a pay-as-you-go fee structure for these 
services.
    PPAC Comment 20: The PPAC commented that the Office has resisted 
calls for more structured and automatic discovery in the inter partes 
review, post-grant review, and covered business method review 
proceedings and that this will be the most significant driver of costs 
for these contested cases. The PPAC recommended that the Office work to 
streamline the structure of proceedings.
    Response: The Office's final rules for inter partes review, post-
grant review, and covered business method review affirmatively embrace 
the calls for more structured and automatic discovery by providing for 
mandatory initial disclosures, default cross-examination times, a model 
order regarding e-discovery, and guidelines for cross-examination. See 
Changes to Implement Inter Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant Review 
Proceedings, and Transitional Program for Covered Business Method 
Patents, 77 FR 48680 (Aug. 14, 2012). Additionally, the final rules 
provide that the parties to a contested case may agree to discovery 
amongst themselves as a way of streamlining the structure and conduct 
of the proceeding. The Office will be monitoring these new services and 
will consider feedback from the user community on how the services are 
being implemented and whether any improvements can be made to these 
procedures.
Maintenance Fees
    PPAC Comment 21: The PPAC commented that it generally supports the 
maintenance fee scheme proposed in the NPRM and that individual fees 
are reasonable because patentees should have a better sense of the 
value of the intellectual property as time progresses after patent 
grant. However, the PPAC questioned the fee increase proposed for the 
third stage maintenance fee. The PPAC advised that the increase to the 
third stage maintenance fee may have a greater adverse effect on demand 
(and therefore revenue) than the Office projected. Given the AIA's 
requirement to review fees at least annually, the PPAC recommended that 
the Office closely monitor the effects of the third stage maintenance 
fee increase and make adjustments to the fee level as needed.
    Response: The Office appreciates PPAC's general support for the 
maintenance fee changes, and agrees with the need for continuous future 
monitoring. The Office will work with the PPAC to review available data 
on maintenance fee payments on a regular basis, and will be prepared to 
make adjustments to the fee levels as needed. The Office recognizes the 
PPAC's concern with the third stage maintenance fee in particular and 
will continue to monitor whether there is any adverse effect on demand 
due to the increase in that fee. The Office has closely considered this 
potential effect in its aggregate revenue calculation and analysis of 
elasticity associated with paying maintenance fees. The Office notes 
that the third stage maintenance fee is assessed when the patent holder 
should have maximum information about the value of the patent and can 
best make an informed decision about whether the value of that patent 
justifies the amount of the fee when considering the expected future 
income from the protection. Further, the increase in the third stage 
maintenance fee allows the Office to provide a fee structure where 
earlier fees, paid when the patentee has much less information about 
the value of the patent, can be reduced, so as to reduce the barriers 
to filing a patent application. By contrast, lowering the third stage 
maintenance fee would necessitate raising an earlier stage fee in order 
to remain at overall cost recovery.
Excess Claims
    PPAC Comment 22: The PPAC commented that the increase in excess 
claim fees is unwarranted due to the relative ease with which excess 
claims can be searched by examiners, the necessity of more claims of 
varying scope in today's legal environment, and the fact that other 
patent offices allow applicants to take advantage of multiple dependent 
claims. The PPAC recommends that the fees be reduced from the rates 
proposed in the NPRM.
    Response: The Office realizes that excess claims can be useful to 
inventors in today's legal environment, but points out that excess 
claiming is a burden to the patent system and the Office. Excess 
claiming slows the examination process and increases patent application 
pendency, without contributing materially to the Office's goal of 
fostering innovation. The Office therefore concluded that an increase 
in fees for excess claims will benefit the patent system and the 
Office.
    Moreover, the patent fee structure has had a fee for ``excess 
claims'' (i.e., independent claims in excess of three and total claims 
in excess of twenty) since at least 1982, and the result is that most 
applications now contain three or fewer independent claims and twenty 
or fewer total claims. Applicants who feel they need more than this 
number of independent or total claims may continue to present them by 
paying the applicable excess claims fee. While the former excess claims 
fee amount encouraged most applicants to present three or fewer 
independent claims and twenty or fewer total claims, it was not 
sufficient to discourage some applicants from presenting a copious 
number of claims for apparent tactical reasons, and nor did the fees 
reflect the excess burden associated with examining those claims. See, 
e.g., Rules of Practice for Trials Before the Patent Trial and Appeal 
Board and Judicial Review of Patent Trial and Appeal Board Decisions, 
77 FR 48612, 48659-60 (Aug. 14, 2012) (noting that the number of claims 
often impacts the complexity of the request and increases the demands 
placed on the deciding officials in administrative proceedings). Thus, 
the Office is adopting excess claims fee amounts designed to permit 
applicants to include excess claims when necessary to obtain an 
appropriate scope of coverage for an invention, but to deter applicants 
from routinely presenting a copious number of claims merely for 
tactical reasons.
    Finally, while U.S. practice does not permit a multiple dependent 
claim to depend from another multiple dependent claim (35 U.S.C. 
112(e)), this does not impact the applicable excess claims fee as a 
multiple dependent claim or any claim depending therefrom is considered 
a separate dependent claim for purposes of computing the required 
excess claims fee. See 35 U.S.C. 41(a)(2)(B).
Oath and Declaration Fees and Correct Inventorship
    PPAC Comment 23: The PPAC applauded the Office's elimination of the 
fee for filing an oath or declaration, first proposed in February 2012. 
The PPAC also stated that the $1,000 fee to correct inventorship is 
unwarranted, commenting that a fee for changing inventorship stemming 
from a restriction requirement or amendments to the claims does not 
seem appropriate and that enlargement of inventorship (which might 
require a further search) is what matters. The PPAC recommended that 
the Office charge a fee only to correct inventorship that adds an 
inventor after the first Office action.

[[Page 4250]]

    Response: Changes to inventorship (e.g., adding previously unnamed 
persons as inventors or removing persons previously named as inventors) 
after examination has started can cause additional work for the Office. 
This additional work is necessary regardless of whether the change to 
the inventorship is the correction of an error in naming inventors, or 
is due to changes to the claims resulting from an amendment during 
examination. The inventorship correction fee also is necessary to 
encourage a bona fide effort to ascertain the actual inventorship as 
early as possible and to provide that information to the Office prior 
to examination. However, after carefully considering comments from the 
PPAC and the public, the Office is reducing the change of inventorship 
fee in this final rule to $600 (large entity) from the $1,000 (large 
entity) fee proposed in the NPRM. After this reduction, the revenue 
generated by this fee will continue to offset the costs incurred by the 
Office when there is a change in inventorship. Additionally, the Office 
proposed for this fee to be paid when inventors are added or deleted, 
because requiring the fee only to add inventors will encourage 
applicants to err in favor of naming too many persons as inventors, 
which would complicate the examination process (e.g., it could 
complicate double patenting searches). After further consideration of 
the PPAC report and other public comments, in this final rule, the 
Office is requiring a fee to accompany a request to correct or change 
the inventorship filed after the Office action on the merits, unless 
the request is accompanied by a statement that the request to correct 
or change the inventorship is due solely to the cancelation of claims 
in the application.

B. Public Comments in Response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    The Office received 28 written submissions in response to the 
proposed rulemaking from intellectual property organizations, not-for-
profit or academic or research institutions, law firms, and 
individuals. The summaries of comments and the Office's responses to 
the written comments follow.
General Fee Setting Considerations
General Fee Setting Approach
    Comment 1: Several commenters expressed support for the Office's 
overall fee setting approach, including the goals for implementing a 
sustainable funding model and optimizing patent timeliness (i.e., first 
action pendency of 10 months and total pendency of 20 months) and 
quality. Specifically, one commenter stated that the fee changes are a 
step in the right direction. Another commenter supported the Office's 
efforts to reduce the patent application and appeal backlog and 
commended the Office's success to date. Noting that extended patent 
application pendency hinders progress and weakens the motivation to 
invent, one of the commenters stated that the proposed fees will 
benefit the USPTO and help expedite the application process for those 
seeking a patent, thereby advancing technology.
    Response: The USPTO appreciates the endorsement from the commenters 
and is committed to achieving the goals developed in consultation with 
the stakeholder community as set forth in the Strategic Plan. The fee 
schedule in this final rule provides the Office with a sufficient 
amount of aggregate revenue to recover the aggregate cost of patent 
operations while implementing key strategic initiatives, such as 
decreasing patent application pendency, reducing the patent application 
backlog, improving the quality of patent examination, and updating 
patent information technology systems. The decrease in pendency, 
reduction in the backlog, and improvement in patent information 
technology systems will speed the delivery of innovative goods and 
services to market and facilitate economic growth and the creation of 
jobs. Likewise, improving the quality of patent examination strengthens 
the U.S. patent system.
    Comment 2: A commenter stated that the patent application pendency 
targets of first action pendency of 10 months by FY 2015 and total 
pendency of 20 months by FY 2016 reflect appropriate long-term goals 
for the Office. The commenter further stated that applicants will 
benefit from the early indication of the likely scope of patent 
coverage and the speedier issuance of a patent, which can allow them to 
more confidently invest in the commercialization of (or obtain 
financing for) their innovations. The commenter suggested that 
competitors of the patentee also will benefit by knowing where they may 
safely target their commercial activities and investments. The 
commenter continued to support the pendency goals by explaining that 
patent applicants need an indication of their prospects for receiving a 
patent in time for them to consider whether and where to file outside 
the United States. The commenter explained that under the Paris 
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, applicants have 
only one year in which to file and claim the priority of their first 
filing--for applicants who did not first file a provisional application 
or other priority application--and that receiving a first action at 10 
months will allow them to decide whether to file abroad and to take 
steps to achieve such filings. The commenter stated strong support for 
the 10 months first action pendency and 20 months total pendency goals 
and welcomed the proposed lengthening of the timeframes for achieving 
the goals. The commenter further stated that the Office should not need 
to change the 10 and 20 month patent application pendency goals in 
order to provide a ``soft landing'' (in reference to the PPAC Fee 
Setting Report). Instead, the commenter suggested that the Office has 
many other tools (e.g., increasing/decreasing overtime, monitoring 
filing activity, or adjusting hiring) at its disposal to calibrate the 
throughput in specific art areas and is confident that the Office can 
reasonably achieve both the pendency goals and a ``soft landing.''
    Response: The Office appreciates the feedback and endorsement for 
the 10 and 20 pendency month goals, which were developed in 
consultation with the stakeholder community when the Office established 
the Strategic Plan. As part of the Office's planning for achieving 
these goals and a ``soft landing'' for the optimal patent application 
inventory level, the Office has recalibrated its short-term plans to 
take into consideration comments from the public as well as new 
information, such as higher examiner production levels, historically 
low attrition rates, and the substantial progress the Office has 
already achieved to date. Consistent with plans to manage a ``soft 
landing'' and avoid an excessively low inventory, the Office has 
changed the timeframe in which it estimates it will reach its ideal 
pendency goals to FY 2016 and FY 2017 for first action pendency and 
total pendency, respectively, but with the recognition that the USPTO 
may well be within 1 to 2 months of its goal (or that it may fully 
reach it) in FY 2015 and FY 2016, respectively.
    Comment 3: One commenter questioned why the Office incorporated the 
cost of a photocopy at $.25 per page and the cost of a black and white 
copy of a patent at $3.00 into its fee setting process under the AIA, 
given that the Office's costs for providing these services has not 
changed in years.
    Response: The Office included the fees associated with a photocopy 
($.25 per page) and a black and white copy of a patent ($3.00) into the 
patent fee schedule. The Office is setting the fees at the existing fee 
rates because the Office's data in support of the unit cost

[[Page 4251]]

for these services is not current. Therefore, the Office determined it 
was best to set the fees at existing rates until such time that it 
assesses more current information.
    Comment 4: A commenter questioned the need for a $200 electronic 
filing incentive.
    Response: Section 10(h) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act 
(AIA) provides for the establishment of a $400 ($200 for small entity) 
fee for any patent application filed by mail, rather than via the 
Office's electronic filing system (EFS-Web). The overriding purpose for 
this fee is to encourage applicants to file electronically, which 
facilitates more effective administration of the patent system. The 
Office began collecting the electronic filing incentive fee on November 
15, 2011, and does not have the authority to change the fee established 
by the AIA. Once the fee is collected by the USPTO, it must be 
deposited in the United States Department of the Treasury and is not 
available to the USPTO for spending.
    Comment 5: A commenter suggested that the Office's continued 
reliance on a fee schedule that is heavily dependent on post-allowance 
fees is flawed and continues to put the Agency in an unstable financial 
position. A commenter argued that the optimal fee schedule should 
consider the incentives and social welfare of patent applicants and 
society as well as the USPTO's need for financial sustainability. The 
commenter proposed that the Office consider further increasing filing, 
search, and examination fees to better align these fees with the costs 
of these services and to decrease the Office's reliance on post-
allowance fees. Further, the commenter stated that being overly 
dependent on post-allowance fees that only materialize if the Office 
decides to grant patent applications creates an incentive for the 
Office to grant an unnecessarily large number of patents and 
potentially invalid patents. The commenter cited a forthcoming academic 
study that supports this theory.
    Response: As noted in this rulemaking, Congress and the USPTO have 
long promoted a fee structure that fosters innovation by removing 
barriers to entry into the patent system through lower front-end fees 
(set well below cost) and higher back-end fees. The lower front-end 
fees facilitate entry into the patent system, and in so doing, 
encourage the disclosure of information on new inventions and ideas to 
the public. Higher back-end fees not only help to recoup costs incurred 
at the front-end of the process, but also foster innovation by 
encouraging patent holders to assess the costs and benefits of 
maintaining their patent at various points over the 20 year term of the 
patent (i.e., 3.5 years, 7.5 years, and 11.5 years) when maintenance 
fees are due. This helps to ensure that low value patents are released 
back into the public domain for subsequent commercialization. The 
Office carefully considered many factors discussed in this final rule 
to determine that the increases to filing, search, and examination fees 
are adequate to secure the needed aggregate revenue to recover 
examination costs while continuing to foster innovation.
    The Office has conducted extensive short- and long-term analyses of 
historical costs using the Office's activity-based cost data, budget 
execution data, allowance rates, strategic and operational goals, and 
elasticity estimates to mitigate risks to its financial stability. 
These analyses revealed that the vast majority of the USPTO's past 
financial stressors were the result of unforeseeable circumstances that 
were typically short-term in nature (e.g., receiving an authorized 
spending level lower than that requested of Congress, proposed 
surcharges or fee rate increases that were not enacted, unanticipated 
dips in revenue due to broader economic conditions, etc.). These kinds 
of pressures were generally felt within a given fiscal year, and were 
best addressed through fiscal year spending adjustments. Attempting to 
mitigate these pressures by increasing allowance rates would have done 
nothing to alleviate such short-term concerns, because the maintenance 
fees would not have been collected until years later. The operating 
reserve presented in this final rule better establishes a sustainable 
funding model to respond to these types of short-term circumstances.
    Moreover, the Office's fee schedule and financial positions are not 
the drivers of patent examination practice. While there is a direct 
correlation between the number of patents granted and future 
maintenance fee collections, patent examiners make independent 
patentability determinations in accordance with statutory requirements 
by comparing the prior art to the claimed invention as a whole, without 
regard to budgetary pressures of the USPTO. Furthermore, the training 
patent examiners receive is not varied depending on the Office's fee 
structure or financial status.
    Lastly, with regard to the ``forthcoming academic study,'' the 
commenters acknowledged that they ``cannot absolutely conclude * * * 
that the Office's fee structure has truly caused an increase in 
granting behavior.'' The Office also points out that there is no data 
or policy basis to support the argument that examination practices are 
the result of the Office's fee structure or financial position.
    Comment 6: A commenter suggested that while a financially 
constrained USPTO could increase fees in an effort to cover its 
expenses, the duration of the fee setting process limits the ability of 
the Office to immediately augment its revenue through fee increases. 
Thus, the commenter suggested that the Office may turn to granting 
patents in an effort to increase fee collections, even with fee setting 
authority.
    Response: The Office does not and will not grant more patents as a 
financial tool to increase fee collections. As discussed in Comment 5, 
above, the statutory requirements governing patent examination do not 
permit such a strategy. In addition, the Office considered the timeline 
for setting and adjusting fees under the AIA in its financial plans. In 
the event the Office finds itself unexpectedly financially constrained, 
the Office will adjust spending accordingly and use the operating 
reserve if needed to manage through the timeframe required to adjust 
fees.
    Comment 7: A commenter suggested that the Office divert maintenance 
fees to a special fund which would be limited to subsidizing the 
filing, search, and examination costs for small and micro inventors.
    Response: The Office does not have the legal authority to create a 
special fund in which to deposit maintenance fees. However, under the 
fee structure included in this final rule, maintenance fees paid by 
large, small, and micro entity inventors (patentees) will be used in 
part to subsidize the filing, search, and examination costs for all 
applicants including small and micro entity inventors.
    Comment 8: A commenter suggested that the Office should reduce the 
proposed fee levels. The commenter noted that as proposed in the NPRM, 
routine patent fees through issue decrease by 22 percent. The commenter 
added however, that when factoring in the total fees paid through third 
stage maintenance, total fees paid increase by 26.3 percent in FY 2013 
and 20.9 percent in FY 2014 when the issue fee decrease becomes 
effective. The commenter further encouraged the Office to accelerate 
the effective dates of several fees, including the issue fee estimated 
in the NPRM to take effect on January 1, 2014.
    Response: The commenter is correct in stating that, once effective, 
the

[[Page 4252]]

routine patent fees through issue for a large entity proposed in the 
NPRM decreased by 22 percent (decreases by 23 percent in this final 
rule), whereas in FY 2014, when coupled with the three maintenance 
fees, the total fees increased by 26 percent (increases by 24 percent 
in this final rule). This is consistent with the policy factor of 
fostering innovation, which guided decisions for setting the proposed 
fee levels. That is, the Office proposed to set front-end fees below 
cost and set back-end fees above cost to recoup the front-end subsidy. 
A front-end subsidy encourages patent application filings and the 
disclosure of new technology to foster innovation.
    When setting the effective date for fee changes, the USPTO takes 
various factors into consideration, including the number of patent 
applications it expects to receive and the amount of work it expects to 
process (e.g., an indicator for workload of patent issue fees). This 
enables the USPTO to calculate the aggregate revenue for each fiscal 
year. To allow the Office to recover sufficient revenue to pay for the 
projected costs for FY 2013, the effective date of the proposed 
reduction to the issue fee and a few other fees has been set at January 
1, 2014. Accelerating this effective date would put the Office at risk 
of collecting insufficient revenue in FY 2013 to meet its operating 
expenses.
    Finally, based on the current timeline for examining and issuing a 
patent, the delayed implementation date for the reduction in the issue 
and publication fees (January 1, 2014) generally aligns with the timing 
of the increase in filing, search, and examination fees so that patent 
applicants paying the current (lower) filing, search, and examination 
fees prior to FY 2013 will continue to pay the current (higher) issue 
and publication fees. On the other hand, successful patent applicants 
benefiting from the reduced issue and publication fees in FY 2014 will 
be more likely to have paid the increased filing, search, and 
examination fees effective shortly after the publication of this final 
rule.
    Comment 9: A commenter noted that the Office's goal of ``fostering 
innovation'' fails to take into account the externalities that marginal 
(i.e., low value) patents impose on producing companies, other 
innovators, and the public, which over time contribute to the failure 
of the disclosure function by lowering the quality of patents.
    Response: The USPTO is committed to optimizing the quality of the 
patents it issues, as well as the timeliness. As noted in the Strategic 
Plan, the Office has taken numerous actions to measure and improve 
quality. Through collaboration with the PPAC, and with participation 
from the entire patent community, the USPTO developed a comprehensive 
set of metrics that are used to monitor patent quality from start to 
finish. These quality metrics are reported to stakeholders on a monthly 
basis via the performance dashboard on the USPTO's Web site (see the 
Patent Dashboard in the USPTO Data Visualization Center available at 
https://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml).
    In addition, one of the policy factors contemplated in USPTO fee 
setting is to foster innovation by providing fee levels that encourage, 
not discourage, innovation. Economic evidence has shown that patents 
are one important means by which innovators can profit from their 
research and development efforts, and the patent filing decision 
normally comes at the beginning of the innovation process, when 
uncertainty over commercial viability is highest. The fee setting 
approach adopted by the Office allows for more experimentation earlier 
in the process by innovators, while also recognizing that other fees 
charged later in the process (i.e., issue and maintenance fees) will 
require the innovator to make decisions about the economic value of 
continuing with the patenting process. In this way, and through the 
added investment that the USPTO fee structure will allow the Office to 
make in improving quality and timeliness of examination, the system 
will minimize the sort of marginal patents mentioned as a concern in 
the comment.
    Relatedly, disclosure, both in quality and in the timeliness of 
arrival, is also improved by the new fee structure, since the 
innovation community will receive better information, earlier in time. 
Finally, increased maintenance fees, as set in this final rule, should 
help to mitigate the externalities created by marginal patents. If the 
patents are truly of a low-value, patent holders will elect not to 
maintain them for as long, thus making them available in the public 
domain sooner than they might have been under a lower maintenance fee 
schedule.
    Comment 10: A commenter is concerned that shifting fees to be 
higher at the front-end and lower at the back-end will ultimately 
discourage some applicants from filing otherwise worthy patent 
applications, and will impede the dissemination and publication of 
potentially useful inventions, removing them from public discourse. The 
commenter suggested reducing filing, search, and examination fees and/
or shifting a higher proportion of the fees to the back end.
    Response: While the filing, search, and examination fees in the 
final fee schedule increase, once effective, the total basic fees for 
obtaining a patent (i.e., filing, search, examination, publication, and 
issue) decrease by 23 percent. As discussed in the Office's response to 
PPAC Comment 4, the Office shares the commenters concern about the 
impact of increased filing, search, and examination fees on the number 
of prospective patent applications filed. However, the Office's 
elasticity analysis indicates that the potential impact is small and 
that filings will continue to grow over the next five years, even if at 
a somewhat lesser rate for the first few years. Additionally, while 
some applicants may choose not to file low value patent applications 
due to the increased combined filing, search, and examination fees, 
there are other means by which an applicant may disclose his or her 
invention (e.g., manufacturing the product). Therefore, when combined 
with the above mentioned elasticity analysis, the Office expects that 
the impact to public disclosure will not be significant. Further, to 
the extent there is some impact on filings, the Office has determined 
that the benefits of the fee changes outweigh the temporary cost of 
fewer patent filings. The additional revenue generated from the 
increase in fees provides sufficient resources to decrease patent 
application pendency. The reduction in patent application pendency is 
estimated to increase private patent value by shortening the time for 
an invention to be commercialized or otherwise obtain value from the 
exclusive right for the technology. Given this overall benefit to the 
patent system taken as a whole, the Office is setting and adjusting the 
total filing, search, and examination fees ($1,600 for a large entity) 
as proposed in the NPRM.
    Comment 11: A commenter commended the Office for its willingness to 
be flexible in the application of its new fee setting authority. The 
commenter also urged the Office to keep the overarching goal of patent 
quality in the forefront of the discussion with the pendency and fiscal 
goals. The commenter further stated that the user community remains 
open to supporting reasonably justified fee increases and procedural 
changes that are aimed at producing high quality, valid, and 
enforceable patents.
    Response: The USPTO appreciates the commenter's support for its 
exercise of fee setting authority. The USPTO's first strategic goal is 
to optimize patent quality and timeliness. To fulfill this goal, the 
Office established a set of

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strategic objectives to decrease patent application pendency and reduce 
the patent application backlog, as well as to measure and improve 
patent quality. Over the past several years, the Office has made 
significant progress on a set of initiatives that aim to improve patent 
quality. In collaboration with the patent examiners' union, the Office 
has developed a new work credit system that gives examiners more time 
to review the merits of patent applications before making their 
decisions. The Office also implemented new performance standards that 
place a greater emphasis on examiners interacting with applicants 
earlier in the process in order to clarify claims and enhance the 
quality of patent reviews. At the same time, the Office is committed to 
building a highly-skilled and capable examining corps, implementing 
improved hiring practices with a focus on recruiting experienced IP 
professionals, and providing comprehensive training to both new and 
experienced examiners.
    As the Office implements these and other quality initiatives it is 
ensuring accountability and tracking progress by initiating 21st 
century analysis, measurement, and tracking of patent quality. Indeed, 
the Office developed a comprehensive set of metrics that are used to 
monitor quality from start to finish. These quality metrics are 
reported to stakeholders on a monthly basis via the performance 
dashboard on the USPTO's Web site. See https://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml.
    Comment 12: The Office received several comments about the patent 
application pendency goals and the relationship to the availability of 
prior art. One commenter suggested that the USPTO's goal to reduce 
first action pendency to 10 months may have the unintended consequences 
of increasing the uncertainty of the patenting process and potentially 
reducing the quality of patents, given that there may be ``hidden'' 
prior art since patent applications are not published until 18 months 
after the filing date. The commenter recommended that either the first 
action pendency goal be relaxed to 20 months, or that the USPTO allow 
applicants to postpone paying search and examination fees for up to 18 
months. Another commenter disagreed with this idea asserting that the 
statement in the PPAC Fee Setting Report regarding the possibility that 
there may be prior art that is unknown to both an applicant and the 
Office under the patent application pendency goals of 10 and 20 months 
is not persuasive. The commenter further explained that while it is 
true that claims may be allowed that could later be found unpatentable 
based on subsequently published prior art, the situation has existed 
for years and patent applicants and the public have enhanced mechanisms 
to bring such prior art to bear on such claims.
    Response: The Office agrees with the second commenter's approach to 
pendency goals and prior art. As noted in the Office's response to PPAC 
Comment 8, the Office recognizes that some prior art may not be 
available to the Office before the first Office action on the merits; 
however, the Office has general support from stakeholders for pursuing 
a 10 month first action pendency and believes that the risk is 
mitigated because many patent applications are published in fewer than 
18 months. The 18-month publication deadline is computed from the 
earliest filed application, and many applications are outgrowths of an 
earlier filed application, which increases the probability that the 
prior art was already published. Regarding the suggestion to postpone 
paying search and examination fees for up to 18 months, ``staging'' of 
fee payments is an idea that the Office may explore in the future. 
Given the significant change in the revenue stream for a fee structure 
modification of this magnitude, the Office believes it is better to 
first achieve greater financial stability through a sufficient 
operating reserve and then solicit feedback and ideas from the public 
via a formal request for comments regarding staged fees. Moreover, the 
realignment of the individual fees for filing, search, and examination 
to their respective costs in this final rule prepares the Office to 
entertain a future staged fee schedule if it was a structure the Office 
and its stakeholders determined was viable.
    Comment 13: A commenter questioned the Office's conclusion that 
application filings will increase as a result of the proposed changes, 
especially for small entities. Another commenter suggested that the 
increased patent fees will discourage independent inventors from filing 
applications and maintaining patents.
    Response: Under the final patent fee structure, large and small 
entities will pay increased filing fees (i.e., fees for filing, search, 
and examination). This is counter-balanced in that most successful 
applicants, regardless of entity status and once effective, will pay 
less in fees (23 percent for large entities) through the issuance of 
their patent under the new fee structure. Additionally, the micro 
entity discount will become available with the new fee structure, 
mitigating costs significantly for a subset of small entities. However, 
the Office recognizes that the increased filing fees for large and 
small entities may discourage some applicants from filing applications. 
The Office accounted for this impact through the analysis of 
elasticity. Using publicly available data, the Office incorporated 
elasticity estimates into its projections and forecasts. The data used 
does not permit the Office to disaggregate elasticity effects by entity 
size (e.g., large, small, or micro). The increase in filing fees to 
large and small entities is expected to reduce moderately the 
anticipated growth rate of future patent application filings in the 
short term, but it is not expected to cause a decline in the total 
number of new (serialized) application filings. The Office expects that 
filing levels, including for micro entities, will return to the same 
levels anticipated (across all entity sizes) in the absence of a fee 
increase by FY 2016. This analysis is described in detail in the 
supplemental document on elasticity available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp.
    Comment 14: One commenter believed that higher fees should be 
accompanied with good or better published patent content. The commenter 
suggested that the Office use fees to maintain its current high quality 
of patent data, specifically text accuracy.
    Response: Providing high quality patent data and information is a 
priority for the USPTO. The new patent fee structure is designed to 
ensure that the USPTO generates sufficient revenue to recover its 
aggregate costs, including those costs associated with the Office's 
multi-year effort to improve its patent IT systems. Through the PE2E 
modernization effort, the USPTO will improve both the efficiency and 
effectiveness of its patent IT systems and business processes, while at 
the same time continue providing high quality patent information to the 
public.
    The PE2E system seeks to improve the USPTO's image-to-text 
conversion capabilities. To do so, the USPTO plans to engage a number 
of solutions moving forward that will further enhance the Office's 
character recognition capabilities and the accuracy of the converted 
text. In addition to better enabling the Office to convert documents to 
text, PE2E is exploring ways to receive text directly from the 
applicant, with a focus on solutions that will both minimize the burden 
on USPTO's stakeholders and improve the quality of text received by the 
Office.

[[Page 4254]]

    Comment 15: A commenter believes that the increased fees would have 
a negative impact on many businesses. The commenter stated that some 
companies may have to use research and development money to cover the 
cost of patent fee increases. The commenter claimed that this diversion 
of resources would inhibit innovation and job creation in America's 
technology sector. Additionally, the commenter noted that the proposed 
fees increase the total cost of filing, prosecuting, and maintaining 
patents, and that the Office already increased most of its fees by 15 
percent in 2011 and then again in October 2012. The commenter 
recommended that the fees for filing, prosecuting, and maintaining a 
patent be held constant at the current level and extra claims fees also 
remain constant until the CPI justifies another increase.
    Response: The Office analyzed the costs and benefits of this final 
fee schedule and three alternative fee schedules in comparison to the 
Baseline (status quo or current fee schedule) in the RIA. See https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp. The Office determined that 
it must increase fees to meet its aggregate costs while implementing 
key strategic initiatives, including costs to reduce patent application 
pendency and the backlog, to improve the quality of patent examination, 
and to update patent information technology systems that benefit both 
the Office and the applicant. The Office understands that innovation is 
critical for economic growth and national competitiveness because it 
brings new goods and services to market. The Office weighed the cost of 
increasing fees against the benefit of reducing the patent application 
backlog so that the Office can provide applicants with 10 months first 
action pendency and 20 months total pendency. The Office also 
recognizes that there may be a reduction to the growth of new 
application filings; however, the Office has also determined that the 
benefits of the fee changes outweigh the temporary cost of slower 
growth in patent filings. The fee structure set forth in this final 
rule thus encourages innovation and facilitates job creation.
    To meet its aggregate costs, the Office requires additional funds 
(2 percent increase in total aggregate revenue) beyond the amount 
provided by the 15 percent surcharge. The additional revenue generated 
from the increase in fees provides sufficient resources to decrease 
patent application pendency, and the reduction in pendency is estimated 
to increase private patent value by shortening the time for an 
invention to be commercialized or otherwise obtain value from the 
exclusive right for the technology.
    Comment 16: One commenter suggested that the Office retrain 
administrative staff to become operational staff (i.e., patent 
examiners) in order to clear the backlog and to reduce overhead.
    Response: For patent examiner positions, the USPTO recruits 
engineers, chemists, microbiologists, physicists, and biologists that 
have successfully completed all requirements for an undergraduate or 
higher degree at an accredited college or university. In addition, for 
some disciplines, the USPTO specifies a minimum number of hours of 
required course content. For candidates seeking employment above entry 
level, the Office requires professional experience in an appropriate 
field, graduate education in the field, and/or law school.
    The USPTO's administrative personnel generally have educational 
backgrounds that do not qualify them to fulfill patent examiner 
positions, e.g., accounting, economics, statistics, etc. Moreover, it 
is impossible to run an agency without personnel who perform human 
resources, information technology and other administrative functions 
necessary to the operation of the Office. Finally, administrative 
personnel meeting the patent examiner requirements have applied and 
become examiners in the past and may continue to apply for vacant 
patent examiner positions.
    The Office anticipates that the new fee schedule will provide 
sufficient revenue to hire the optimal number of patent examiners 
needed to reduce the patent application backlog and decrease patent 
application pendency. Further, the Office will continue to seek cost 
savings and greater efficiency from its entire staff, including 
administrative personnel.
    Comment 17: A commenter suggested that the Office's cost estimate 
of $1,860 for a patent search is too high, at least in part, because of 
inefficient operations.
    Response: The Office provides the historical costs of the major 
patent fees, including the methodology used to determine the cost of 
the fees in a supplemental document entitled, ``USPTO Section 10 Fee 
Setting--Activity-Based Information and Costing Methodology'' available 
at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1. This 
document shows the search fee costs associated with the examination of 
a patent application for FY 2009 ($1,520), FY 2010 ($1,694) and FY 2011 
($1,521) in addition to further detail on the activity costs and the 
fee calculations.
    In 2009, the USPTO's cost management program was recognized as a 
federal best practice in an independent review, and the Office 
continues to use these best practices to calculate the cost data that 
has informed the fee setting process. In addition to using sound cost 
accounting practices, the Office continues to regularly review its 
annual requirements-based operating budgets and long-range plans to 
ensure that the Office operates efficiently. Further, the AIA includes 
a mandate for the Director of the USPTO to annually consult with the 
PPAC on the ``advisability of reducing any fees'' (see section 10(c)). 
This annual consultation will be informed by both cost accounting data 
and any efficiency gains the Office realizes while providing patent 
services.
Operating Reserve
    Comment 18: The Office received several comments about building the 
three-month operating reserve too quickly. One of the commenters stated 
that contributing 3 percent to 7 percent of collected fees each year 
builds the operating reserve too quickly at a high cost to current 
applicants who face budget constraints. Similarly, another commenter 
stated that since applicants are already paying higher fees in order to 
help meet the USPTO's other goals, the operating reserve should be 
built more gradually to avoid current applicants carrying too much of 
the burden. A commenter further stated that carefully building and 
managing a three-month operating reserve is a reasonable fiscal goal 
and that the commenter appreciated the balanced approached of the 
modification in the NPRM from the February 2012 proposal, specifically 
lengthening the target date for achieving full-funding by two years. 
However, the commenter also stated that a $200 million increase planned 
for the operating reserve in FY 2014 in the NPRM is too aggressive and 
suggested a more appropriate goal would be to permit the operating 
reserve to achieve the three-month goal over six years. Finally, 
another commenter further suggested that the plan for building the 
operating reserve is too quick and establishing a longer timeframe 
would permit the USPTO to lower the fees for post-grant proceedings, 
making these prosecution options more accessible to small businesses 
and non-profit entities.
    Response: The Office welcomes support for its financial 
sustainability and operating reserve goals. As noted in the response to 
PPAC Comment 6, the

[[Page 4255]]

Office extended the growth period of the three-month operating reserve 
by one year (to FY 2018) compared to the timeframe proposed in the 
NPRM. The Office believes that this timeframe achieves a reasonable 
balance between growth that is gradual enough to limit the burden on 
applicants and rapid enough to reach the target reserve and provide 
necessary financial stability in a reasonable timeframe. Additionally, 
in this final rule, the Office sets fees for two proceedings at lower 
amounts than were proposed in the NPRM. These fee reductions are for ex 
parte reexamination (from $15,000 to $12,000) and reexamination ordered 
as a part of supplemental examination (from $13,600 to $12,100).
    Comment 19: A commenter expressed concerns that building the 
operating reserve so quickly could make it a convenient target for 
congressional confiscation of fees, and another commenter suggested 
that the USPTO consider delaying build-up of its operating reserve 
until such time that any potential fee diversion by the Congress is 
prohibited. A different commenter suggested that the Office should take 
every precaution to ensure the fees paid by users are not vulnerable to 
sequestration or diversion and, if either becomes a reality, the Office 
should immediately stop building the operating reserve until a 
mechanism can be found to protect the funds.
    Response: As noted in the response to PPAC Comment 6, the AIA 
mitigates the issue of fee diversion by stipulating that USPTO's excess 
collections are to be deposited into the new Patent and Trademark Fee 
Reserve Fund rather than into the general Treasury, and are available 
for USPTO purposes as provided for in the Office's annual 
appropriations bill. The Office will continue to work closely with 
Congress to ensure full access to fees paid by patent applicants and 
patentees, consistent with the AIA. In addition, as previously 
mentioned, the Office has slowed the growth of the operating reserve.
    Comment 20: A commenter noted that there may be several potential 
surges in fee activity during the course of implementing the AIA, which 
would likely lead to ``bubbles'' of fee payments that could be used as 
a source of funds for building the operating reserve.
    Response: The Office anticipates ``bubbles'' of fee payments in 
advance of this new fee schedule taking effect, similar to the surge in 
collections experienced in late FY 2011 after the passage of the AIA 
and the implementation of the 15 percent surcharge in FY 2012. Unlike 
the ``bubble'' at the end of FY 2011, however, the ``bubbles'' that the 
Office anticipates for FY 2013 as a result of this final rule and for 
FY 2014 relating to implementation of those fees set to take effect on 
January 1, 2014, will be experienced within the respective fiscal 
years. These anomalies (``bubbles'') are considered in the Office's 
projected FY 2013 and FY 2014 aggregate revenue collections, including 
the estimated operating reserve levels.
Small, Micro, and Independent Inventor Matters
    Comment 21: The Office received several comments about the impact 
of fees on small entities and the provision of small and micro entity 
discounts. One commenter questioned whether the USPTO is providing 
micro entities with a 75 percent discount. Several commenters expressed 
support for small and micro entity fees, and some welcomed any further 
fee reductions, with one commenter proposing that the discount for 
small entities should be increased to one-third of large entity fee 
rates instead of one-half. A commenter stated that it is inconsistent 
to allow small entities (and micro entities) to file applications with 
reduced filing fees but not allow reduced reexamination fees. One 
commenter expressed general support for the fee proposal, particularly 
for the manner in which the rule allocates fees based on an applicant's 
ability to pay (e.g., large entities pay more) and the front-end/back-
end subsidy structure. Lastly, one commenter recommended that the USPTO 
set aside a small fraction of large entity fee collections for outreach 
to small businesses.
    Response: Congress authorized micro entity fee reductions and an 
enhanced list of small entity fee reductions to permit greater access 
to the patent system by these entities. Section 10(b) of the AIA states 
that the ``fees set or adjusted under subsection (a)'' for the 
specified patent services ``shall be reduced by 50 percent with respect 
to the application of such fees to any small entity that qualifies for 
reduced fees under section 41(h)(1) of title 35, United States Code.'' 
(Pub. L. 112-29, section 10). Therefore, the Office has no legal 
authority to change the size of the discount for small entities from 50 
percent. Section 10(g) of the AIA further reduced the fee burden for 
some small entities by adding section 123 to chapter 11 of title 35 to 
define a new micro entity class of applicants. Section 10(b) of the AIA 
further states that ``fees set or adjusted under subsection (a)'' for 
the specified patent services ``shall be reduced by 75 percent with 
respect to the application of such fees to any micro entity as defined 
in section 123.''
    Under the authority of section 10(b) of the AIA, the Office sets 
small and micro entity fee rates for filing, searching, examining, 
issuing, appealing, and maintaining patent applications and patents; 
these rates amount to a 50 percent reduction for small entities and a 
75 percent reduction for micro entities. Fee reductions for 
reexamination services are included under the authority of section 
10(b). In this final rule, the Office sets or adjusts 351 patent fees, 
including 94 small entity fees set at a reduction of 50 percent and 93 
micro entity fees set at a reduction of 75 percent from the large 
entity fee amounts.
    The USPTO continues to work with companies, legal associations, 
inventor organizations and others to provide inventors and small 
businesses with contacts, information and assistance. The Office 
supports several programs to help both small businesses and independent 
inventors, including the Small Business Education Campaign and pro bono 
programs. More information on these programs and others designed to 
support small businesses is available at https://www.uspto.gov/smallbusiness/about/ and also https://www.uspto.gov/inventors/proseprobono/index.jsp.
    The AIA directs the USPTO to work with intellectual property law 
associations across the country to establish pro bono programs for 
financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses. A pilot 
program in Minnesota was launched in June 2010 to provide legal 
services to help such individuals and businesses obtain solid patent 
protection. Another pro bono pilot program was launched in Denver 
during FY 2012. More regional pro bono programs are planned for 2013. 
Outreach to small businesses and independent inventors is included in 
the Office's annual patent operating budget, so a portion of all fees 
collected contributes to this outreach effort.
    Comment 22: Several commenters suggested that discounts to small 
and micro entities should be extended to inter partes reviews, post-
grant reviews, and covered business method patent reviews, with one of 
the commenters asserting that if the fees are too high, small and micro 
entities will be driven out of the market in favor of large 
corporations. One of the commenters disagreed with the USPTO's 
interpretation of section 10(b) of the AIA, and argued that neither the 
text of section 10(b) nor any other provision of the AIA limits the 
USPTO from offering reduced fees or lowering fees for

[[Page 4256]]

services not enumerated in that section. The commenter stated that, 
even if the USPTO's interpretation is correct, the Director has broad 
authority to lower fees for the administrative trials to allow greater 
access for entities such as small businesses and non-profits that may 
otherwise not be able to participate. Other commenters suggested 
providing non-profit organizations similar or greater discounts on 
post-grant review and inter partes review fees, with one commenter 
suggesting these proceedings would be prohibitively expensive for non-
profit organizations. Another commenter applauded the Office's work to 
reduce certain fees (from those set under the Office's section 41(d)(2) 
authority), especially the ex parte reexamination fees for small and 
micro entities. However, the commenter expressed concern that the 
proposed fees would create a disincentive for some third parties (e.g., 
public interest groups) to challenge patents, and urged the Office to 
provide reduced fees for small and micro entities, specifically for 
not-for-profit organizations.
    Response: The express authority of section 10(b) refers to fees for 
supplemental examination, reexamination, and petition, but not to 
administrative trials like inter partes review, post-grant review, and 
covered business methods review. Further, because the administrative 
trials are new services for which the Office has no historical cost 
basis, setting these fees too far below their prospective cost is 
risky. The Office designed the new procedures around Congressional 
intent for the AIA. In many cases, these services are an alternative to 
even more expensive litigation. Further, many of these services, 
including post-grant review and inter partes review, provide for 
refunds if the Office does not elect to institute a proceeding, which 
could significantly lower the cost.
    The Office's authority to set fees is coupled with the requirement 
that aggregate patent revenue must recover the aggregate cost of patent 
operations. As the Office collects and analyzes more data about the 
cost of patent operations for these new services, the Office will 
continually reassess the fairness and adequacy of the fee schedule to 
both achieve the needed aggregate revenue and remain aligned with the 
Office's strategic and operational goals and policy priorities--
including fostering innovation.
    In addition, the Office also established staged fees for appeals 
and RCEs, which aim to reduce the upfront cost of patent services for 
all entities, but especially those eligible for a fee reduction. 
Finally, the pendency gains that the Office aims to realize as a result 
of the additional revenue will be beneficial to all entities--including 
not-for-profit entities and public interest groups, as demonstrated by 
the positive net benefit presented in the RIA. (See the RIA at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp). Although non-patent 
holders will not accrue monetary benefits from the reduction in 
pendency, the rest of society stands to gain other benefits (e.g., 
decreased uncertainty) as described in the RIA.
    Comment 23: A commenter stated that the criteria to qualify for 
micro entity status are too restrictive, specifically the limitation on 
the number of prior patent applications due to prior employment 
situations and the income requirements. The commenter suggested 
eliminating the limit related to not being named on more than four 
previously filed patent applications and raising the income requirement 
to four or five times the median household income.
    Response: The AIA established the criteria under which an applicant 
may qualify for micro entity status (see 35 U.S.C. 123). This final 
rule sets fee levels, which in applicable instances include micro 
entity discounts as set forth in section 10(b) of the AIA. This final 
rule does not alter the eligibility requirements set forth in the law. 
In a separate final rule, the Office set forth rules of practice 
pertaining to how an applicant can qualify for micro entity discounts. 
See Changes to Implement Micro Entity Status for Paying Patent Fees, 77 
FR 75019 (Dec. 19, 2012). 35 U.S.C. 123(a)(2) has a criterion for micro 
entity status that requires the applicant ``has not been named as an 
inventor on more than 4 previously filed patent applications, other 
than applications filed in another country, provisional applications 
under section 111(b), or international applications filed under the 
treaty defined in section 351(a) for which the basic national fee under 
section 41(a) was not paid.'' 35 U.S.C. 123(b) states that ``[a]n 
applicant is not considered to be named on a previously filed 
application for purposes of subsection (a)(2) if the applicant has 
assigned, or is under an obligation by contract or law to assign, all 
ownership rights in the application as the result of the applicant's 
previous employment.'' 35 U.S.C. 123(a)(3) states that a micro entity 
is one who ``did not * * * have a gross income, as defined in section 
61(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, exceeding 3 times the 
median household income for that preceding calendar year.'' The Office 
does not have the authority to eliminate the previously filed 
application limit or expand the income level because both are set by 
statute. However, the law does not apply to applications filed due to 
prior employment situations if the applicant has assigned, or is under 
an obligation by contract or law to assign, all ownership rights in the 
application as the result of the applicant's previous employment.
    Comment 24: A commenter asked the Office to estimate how much it 
would cost a small or micro entity to claim eligibility for these 
discounts.
    Response: The AIA established the bases under which an applicant 
may establish micro entity status (see 35 U.S.C. 123). While this final 
rule sets fee levels, it does not establish the procedural requirements 
for asserting small or micro entity status. To pay reduced patent fees 
as a small entity, the entity must merely assert small entity status 
using the same procedures in place today. Specifically, a small entity 
may make this assertion by either checking a box on the transmittal 
form, ``Applicant claims small entity status,'' or by paying the small 
entity fee exactly. In a separate rulemaking (see Changes to Implement 
Micro Entity Status for Paying Patent Fees, 77 FR 75019 (Dec. 19, 
2012)), the Office set out the procedures pertaining to claiming micro 
entity status. These procedures are designed to align with, to the 
extent feasible, the corresponding small entity procedures. A micro 
entity must certify in writing that he or she meets the criteria 
delineated in the AIA. In both cases, the burden to establish small or 
micro entity status is nominal (making an assertion or submitting a 
certification).
    Comment 25: A commenter questioned the Office's assumption that all 
foreign individuals will qualify for micro entity fee reductions.
    Response: The Office does not assume that all foreign patent 
applicants will qualify for micro entity discounts. The introduction of 
micro entities required the Office to refine its fee payment workload 
and fee collection estimates. The Office estimated the size of the 
micro entity population by making certain calculations about how many 
applicants would likely qualify under each of the criteria set forth in 
the law (see sections 123(a) and (d)) using the best available data. In 
making these estimates, the Office considered several factors, 
including historical data on patents granted. The Office began with 
patent grant data, because the best available biographic data on 
applicant type (e.g., independent inventor and domestic universities) 
comes from patent grant data in the Office's database.

[[Page 4257]]

    As noted previously, individuals (not companies or organizations) 
accounted for a very small portion of utility patent grantees in FY 
2011. Only 5.0 percent (11,068) of granted patents went to individuals 
in the U.S., and 1.9 percent (4,206) of granted patents went to 
individuals from other countries. Designation as an individual is based 
on being listed in the USPTO database without being associated with a 
company. By the Office's own records, in FY 2011, individuals from 
other countries received 4,206 utility patents. The Office's Patent 
Application Locating and Monitoring (PALM) database reports that 62 
percent of both foreign and domestic small entity applicants filed 
fewer than 5 applications in FY 2009. The Office combined these 
statistics to estimate that only 2,608 (62 percent of 4,206) of foreign 
individuals would meet the joint standard of being an individual and 
having filed fewer than five applications. Then, the Office concluded 
that about 97 percent of American households fall under the maximum 
income threshold for micro entity eligibility. Given that household 
income in the United States is greater than that of most foreign 
countries, it is reasonable to project that all foreign applicants 
applying as individuals who meet the other standards for micro entity 
eligibility are not likely to be disqualified on income alone. All 
foreign patent applicants will have to specifically qualify by the 
requirements set forth in 35 U.S.C. 123 in order to be eligible for the 
micro entity discount.
    Comment 26: A commenter stated that proposals for the reduction of 
certain Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) fees aimed at making the 
international patent system more accessible to small and micro entities 
are generally welcomed, provided that such reductions are affordable 
for the Office and that the administration of such fee reductions is 
manageable and proportionate.
    Response: The Office remains committed to making the patent system 
more accessible to small and micro entities both domestically and 
abroad. Given the Office's mandate to ensure that aggregate revenue 
recovers aggregate cost, the Office conducted the necessary analysis to 
conclude that providing fee reductions for certain PCT services is both 
affordable and consistent with the Office's goals. The Office does not 
anticipate a large administrative burden for its own operations or 
those of other Receiving Offices. The Office will continue to work with 
its international partners to balance support for small and micro 
entities with the effective administration of global patent systems. 
For example, in response to concerns raised by one of the Office's 
international counterparts, the Office is setting the effective date 
for the international phase fees established in Sec.  1.445 and Sec.  
1.482 in this final rule as (including small and micro entity 
discounts) January 1, 2014, to provide sufficient time between 
publication of the final rule and the fee effective date to allow 
consequential changes to be made to international forms, procedures, 
and associated systems.
    Comment 27: A commenter stated that the means for claiming fee 
reductions on PCT services as a small entity must be easy to understand 
and operate by people of any nationality or residence, both for the 
applicant/agent and for the receiving Offices handling the 
international application. The commenter added that if a form is to be 
used, it would be preferable to allow an agent making a filing to check 
a box on behalf of the applicants without requiring further signatures 
from each one.
    Response: In response to the comments suggesting that the fee 
reductions should be simple to understand and operate, the final rule 
amends section 1.27(c)(3) to allow small entity status to be 
established in international applications by payment of the exact 
amount of the small entity transmittal fee set forth in Sec.  
1.445(a)(1) or by payment of the small entity search fee set forth in 
Sec.  1.445(a)(2) to a Receiving Office other than the United States 
Receiving Office in the exact amount established for that Receiving 
Office under PCT Rule 16. Small entity status can additionally be 
established by written assertion as previously provided for in section 
1.27(c)(1). With regard to establishment of micro entity status, the 
Office will make available a form for use in certifying an applicant's 
entitlement to micro entity status.
    Comment 28: A commenter suggested that it is not practical for a 
Receiving Office to verify whether the claim for micro or small entity 
status is valid in an international application filed under the PCT. 
The commenter suggested that the Office should make clear what will 
happen if the United States International Searching Authority has 
reason to question an assertion of small or micro entity status made in 
an international application filed with a foreign Receiving Office.
    Response: The Office will generally not question applicant's 
assertion to small entity status. (See, e.g., 37 CFR 1.27(f) and MPEP 
509.03 (VIII) ``Normally, the Office will not question a claim to 
status as a small entity.'') Similarly, the Office plans to generally 
rely on applicant's certification of micro entity status and will 
ordinarily not require any additional documents from the applicant 
concerning the applicant's entitlement to claim micro entity status. 
However, any attempt to fraudulently establish status as a micro or 
small entity shall be considered fraud practiced or attempted on the 
Office. See, e.g., section 1.27(h).
    Comment 29: One commenter suggested that at least six months would 
be needed from notice of the final requirements of the system to 
properly implement instructions, forms, and systems for the execution 
of payment of small and micro entity fees and establishing small or 
micro entity status in international applications for which the Office 
acts as a Receiving Office, International Searching Authority, or 
International Preliminary Examining Authority.
    Response: In response to this comment, the Office is setting the 
effective date for the international phase fees established in Sec.  
1.445 and Sec.  1.482 in this final rule (including small and micro 
entity discounts) as January 1, 2014, in order to provide for 
sufficient implementation time.
    Comment 30: A commenter suggested that the proposed fee schedule 
saddled large entities with more than a fair share of the fee burden, 
at least for maintenance fees. The commenter urged the Director of the 
USPTO to use his discretion (granted in 35 U.S.C. 123(e)) to eliminate 
the 75 percent micro entity discount for maintenance fees.
    Response: The Office aims to foster innovation for all entities, 
and fee reductions are one of the tools that the Office uses to achieve 
this policy. Fee reductions are established by the AIA at Section 
10(b), and the Office does not have the authority to eliminate the 
reductions set by the AIA. Also, maintenance fees are a critical 
component of the USPTO's funding stream given the Office's policy of 
setting front-end fees below cost and back-end fees above cost. (See 
the Office's response to PPAC Comment 21 for more information.)
    Additionally, the fee burden to large entities for micro entity 
maintenance fees is not very large, especially because: (1) Micro 
entities must first qualify as small entities; and (2) the projected 
population of micro entities is small. As noted in this final rule, the 
Office estimates that 31 percent of small entity applications will be 
micro entity applications (see Part IV. Fee Setting Methodology). Small 
entities are already a relatively small portion of patent

[[Page 4258]]

applicants--approximately 25 percent over the past five years (see 
Table 53)--so the population of micro entity applicants is expected to 
be less than 10 percent (25 percent of 31 percent equals 7.75 percent), 
and the population of micro entity maintenance fee payers would be even 
smaller. Further, the dollar differential between small and micro 
entities over all three stages of maintenance fee payments is just over 
$3,000. (The total of maintenance fee payments through the third stage 
is $6,300 for small entities compared to $3,150 for micro entities.)
Legal Considerations
    Comment 31: One commenter stated that there was not adequate time 
for the public to submit comments in response to the fee proposal. 
Another commenter requested additional time to prepare comments on the 
fee proposal.
    Response: The Office reasonably believes 60 days was sufficient 
time for public comment. The Office notes that it first set forth a fee 
proposal on February 7, 2012, and then it held two public hearings in 
collaboration with the PPAC. Additionally, the PPAC collected written 
comments in response to the February 2012 fee proposal, which the 
Office reviewed and made available for public review. Finally, the 
Office provided a 60-day period for written comments following 
publication of the NPRM, in addition to the PPAC public hearings and 
earlier comment period and numerous roadshows across the country to 
provide the public an opportunity to receive further information and to 
ask questions of the Office concerning the fee proposal.
    Comment 32: A commenter stated that the Office must consider the 
Independent Offices Appropriations Act (IOAA), 31 U.S.C. 9701, both 
explicitly and in pari materia, in setting fees. The commenter asserts 
that the IOAA applies and that the USPTO's fees amount to taxes insofar 
as the fees are based on anything other than the IOAA and cost to the 
USPTO associated with the individual service.
    Response: The IOAA is a general government-wide user fee statute 
adopted in 1951. It is a permissive statute and intended for agencies 
to use in fee setting where Congress has not provided more specific fee 
setting authority. Where statutes independent of the IOAA provide 
specific statutory authority for user fees, those statutes control 
based on the terms of their own coverage and limitations. See Bunge 
Corp. v. U.S., 5 Cl. Ct. 511, 515-16 (1984), aff'd mem., 765 F.2d 162 
(Fed. Cir. 1985) (``The IOAA was intended to serve an interstitial 
function, providing fee setting authority where Congress has not 
otherwise authorized the agency to collect fees * * *. It would be 
inconsistent with this purpose to hold that the IOAA applies where an 
agency acts pursuant to a different, more specific grant of fee setting 
authority.'') Here, the USPTO has separate and specific fee setting 
authority provided by Section 10 of the AIA. Given the specific fee 
setting authority Congress provided to the USPTO in Section 10 of the 
AIA, the USPTO does not need to use the IOAA for this fee setting.
    Finally, the IOAA and section 10 cannot be read in pari materia, 
contrary to the commenter's suggestion. The IOAA has several 
significant limitations that apply to fee setting under the terms of 
that statute, including some limitations to require that each fee be 
set to recover the cost of the corresponding service. Section 10 does 
not impose these limitations and is fundamentally different than the 
IOAA. Specifically, whereas the IOAA requires that each individual fee 
be set for cost recovery, section 10 does not compel cost recovery on 
an individual fee basis, but rather explicitly permits fees to be set 
to recover ``aggregate estimated costs'' of the patent operations. In 
addition, while the IOAA assigns fees to the general treasury, section 
10 fees are kept by the USPTO.
    Comment 33: A commenter stated that the proposed fees exceed the 
authority of the AIA. Specifically, the commenter states that the AIA 
provides no authority for allowing the USPTO to set or adjust fees on 
any basis other than cost of the service provided. For example, the 
commenter posits that the USPTO may not set individual fees above cost 
based on policy reasons. The commenter also states that the Office's 
authority is limited to making adjustments that are supported by cost 
data while retaining a reasonable semblance of the relative levels of 
existing fees.
    Response: The commenter's suggestions are contrary to the plain 
language of the AIA. The AIA permits individual patent fees to be set 
or adjusted to encourage or discourage particular services, so long as 
the aggregate revenues for all patent fees match the aggregate costs of 
the patent operation. The comment would read into the AIA limitations 
that do not exist and that are inconsistent with the AIA.
    Comment 34: A commenter noted that the agency must comply with the 
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 500, et seq. in setting Section 
10 fees.
    Response: The Office agrees that the Office must comply with the 
rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act in setting 
Section 10 fees. As demonstrated in this section and in this rulemaking 
as a whole, the USPTO has complied with these requirements.
Individual Fees
Prioritized Examination Fee
    Comment 35: A commenter suggested that the proposed reduced fee for 
Prioritized Examination is still too high, and recommended that the 
USPTO lower this fee to $2,000 to encourage participation in the 
program.
    Response: In this final rule, the Office is lowering the fee for 
prioritized examination from $4,800 to $4,000. The Office aims to 
increase access to prioritized examination while ensuring that the 
large entity fee remains at cost recovery. Currently, USPTO cost data 
does not support the suggested $2,000 fee. The Office's cost 
calculation for prioritized examinations is available in the proposed 
rule published in the Federal Register. (See Changes To Implement the 
Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the Enhanced Examination 
Timing Control Procedures, 76 FR 59050 (Sept. 23, 2011)). As noted in 
the Office's response to PPAC Comment 9, the Office will continue to 
monitor participation in the prioritized examination program to assess 
whether demand increases with a decrease in the fee, and whether there 
is any adverse impact on pendency of applications in the traditional 
examination ``track.''
Basic Filing, Search, and Examination Fees
    Comment 36: One commenter asserted that the Office understates the 
cost of filing a patent application. In particular, the commenter 
believes that the NPRM misled the public to believe that a fee which 
actually goes up by 27 percent appears to go down by 62 percent. The 
commenter suggested that filing fees are confusing because fees ``due 
on filing'' include filing, search, and examination fees, instead of 
solely the ``filing'' fee.
    Response: The NPRM states that the basic filing fee for utility 
applications decreases by 28 percent for large entities. The utility 
search fee decreases by 3 percent for large entities, and the utility 
examination fee increases by 188 percent for large entities when 
compared to the current patent fee schedule. The net result of the 
changes to these three components is a 27 percent increase ($340) in 
the total filing, search, and examination fees for large entity utility 
applications. See

[[Page 4259]]

Setting and Adjusting Patent Fees, 77 FR 55028 (Sept. 6, 2012), 
specifically Table 4 at 55039 and Table 9 at 55043-55044.
    The USPTO separated the single fee paid at filing into filing, 
search, and examination components as part of the 21st Century 
Strategic Plan that was submitted to the Congress in 2003. The result 
was to create a more optimal alignment of fees with services, and 
provide the applicant with more information about the services being 
received. However, throughout the proposed rule and this final rule, 
the Office refers to the three fees collectively as the basic ``front-
end'' fees and clearly states that the total of all three fees is due 
at filing.
Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Fees
    Comment 37: Several commenters expressed concerns about the 
increase in RCE fees and operational issues surrounding patent 
examination and RCEs. Several comments expressed support for the 
Office's continued efforts to reduce the number of RCEs, but suggested 
that even more work is needed. One commenter appreciated the reduction 
of the first RCE fee in the NPRM from the February 2012 proposal to the 
PPAC, but noted that the second and subsequent RCE fee continues to be 
nearly double the fee currently in place. The commenter further noted 
that the moderated fee continues to be high when compared to the costs 
to examine a case from scratch or to examine a continuation. Several 
commenters cited issues with examining practices as a reason for 
increased RCE filings, including improper final rejections, 
inexperienced examiners, and an examiner's failure to effectively 
engage with an applicant. The commenter believed that a punitive 
subsequent RCE fee will not resolve the issue of applicants filing 
multiple RCEs. One commenter suggested that, given the number of new 
examiners hired, the RCE fee should be incrementally increased once the 
overall experience level of the examining corps increases and quality 
examination is ensured.
    Response: The Office carefully considered the decisions to 
differentiate between fees for filing a first RCE and filing second or 
subsequent RCEs and whether to increase the RCE fee above its current 
level. As noted in the final rule, those considerations included 
historical cost information, historical RCE filing trends, aggregate 
revenue needs, and patent examination practices (by the Office and 
applicants). See response to PPAC Comment 10.
    On the issue of the overall experience level of the examining 
corps, the Office took into account the average grade level of the 
patent examining corps when calculating costs. The Office will continue 
to monitor the quality of examination through its quality metrics that 
are published on the USPTO Data Visualization Center at https://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml.
    Comment 38: Some commenters expressed concerns about the way the 
Office dockets RCEs. Two commenters suggested that the Office consider 
docketing RCEs like other amended cases (i.e., the same scheduling as 
responses to office actions) to advance rather than delay prosecution. 
Alternatively, one commenter suggested the Office could use the amended 
case docket for those applicants who pay the higher fee for an RCE and 
continue placement on the continuing new case docket for those 
applicants who pay the current RCE fee amount.
    Response: As a result of the recent Count System Initiative 
changes, RCEs are being reprioritized within their current docket 
category based upon their effective filing date, which will move older 
RCEs ahead for action sooner than other cases in the same category.
    Comment 39: A commenter stated that the decision to accept an 
amendment after final rejection is often at the examiner's discretion 
and, therefore, so is the need for an RCE. The commenter suggested 
that: (1) Examination practices be standardized so that all examiners 
will accept an amendment without an RCE if an amended claim is found to 
be patentable; and (2) the AFCP be formally adopted. Another commenter 
suggested that the Office create a new procedure for a ``single review 
RCE'' or a ``one more action'' procedure with a lower fee than is 
currently charged for an RCE. The commenter envisioned this procedure 
as an opportunity for an examiner, in exchange for some portion of a 
count, to consider art the examiner has newly identified or for an 
applicant to put claims in condition for appeal. The commenter further 
explained that an examiner could update the search following an 
agreement after final on potentially allowable subject matter, all 
without requiring a full RCE with a delayed track and multiple actions. 
The commenter further suggested that the application should be 
maintained on the amended case docket (response to office action 
scheduling), or an even faster docket, and treated as an amendment 
after final with some count benefit to the examiner. The commenter 
recognized the similarity of this procedure to some of the ongoing 
efforts of the Office (specifically the AFCP), but suggested this 
procedure would be available as a matter of right and with a lower fee 
than a current RCE (but higher than the pilot program, which does not 
currently require payment of additional fees to the Office).
    Response: In response to this public comment, the Office reviewed 
data on applications having an after final reply followed by an RCE 
filing. The data shows that more than 50 percent of all RCEs are filed 
with no prior submission after final (i.e., no amendment that attempts 
to place the application in condition for allowance). It is noted that 
the AFCP should have the effect of motivating more applicants to file 
after final replies for additional consideration. After a final 
rejection is made by the examiner, the applicant must do one of three 
things to avoid abandonment: (1) File a reply that places the 
application in condition for allowance; (2) file a notice of appeal; or 
(3) file an RCE in compliance with 37 CFR 1.114. The data suggests that 
many applicants elect option (3) over option (1). Absent a timely filed 
after final amendment that permits issuance of a patent (i.e., an 
amendment that leaves no pending claim subject to a rejection) the 
application must be regarded as abandoned, unless a notice of appeal or 
RCE is timely filed. In situations when an after final amendment may 
make some but not all claims allowable, the current procedures provide 
a check box (number 6) on the Advisory Action form that allows an 
examiner to indicate that a claim(s) amended after final would be 
allowable if submitted in a separate, timely filed amendment canceling 
the non-allowable claim(s). A copy of the current Advisory Action form 
is found on page 700-88 of the MPEP, Eighth Edition, Revision 9. With 
regard to the ``single review RCE'' or ``one more action'' concepts, 
such suggestions are outside the scope of this rulemaking, but to the 
extent that these suggestions can be implemented consistent with 35 
U.S.C. 132 and 133, they will be given consideration.
    Comment 40: One commenter stated that it is important for the 
Office to deal with the ``hidden'' RCE backlog because ``one gets what 
one measures.'' The commenter suggested that the pendency goals should 
be established taking into account RCEs (e.g., X months from filing to 
final disposition of RCEs, and Y months for traditional total pendency 
including RCEs), which would establish a clear focus on the backlog of 
RCEs and would keep the user community fully apprised of the Office's 
progress in

[[Page 4260]]

bringing that backlog under control. The commenter suggested that these 
goals should be tracked and reported side-by-side with the 10- and 20-
month traditional pendency goals.
    Response: The Office presents multiple application pendency numbers 
on the Patent Dashboard in the USPTO Data Visualization Center 
available at https://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml. 
There, the Office publishes traditional total pendency both with and 
without RCEs, as well as the pendency for RCEs alone. The Office also 
publishes the backlog for RCEs. The Office further presents data on the 
growth in RCE filings, the inventory of RCEs, and the pendency 
associated with RCEs. See response to PPAC Comment 10 for additional 
information about the Office's efforts to respond to issues concerning 
RCEs, including the backlog.
Appeal Fees
    Comment 41: Two commenters stated that the total for appeal fees 
($3,000) is too high given the percentage of reversals on appeals (50 
percent per one commenter and 80 percent or more per the other 
commenter). The commenters stated that the proposed two-part fee 
structure should be further realigned so that the initial fee is lower 
and the final fee due after receipt of the examiner's answer is the 
largest component of the appeal fees. Further, one of the commenters 
explained that many appeals are terminated prior to the applicant 
filing an appeal brief so the single fee for the notice of appeal 
($1,000) is excessive, and it should be eliminated or greatly reduced. 
The commenter also questioned the proposed $1,000 fee due upon filing a 
Notice of Appeal, stating that a number of appeals are pursued due to 
inexperienced examiners and/or poor rejection quality and that the fee 
increase might discourage meritorious appeals.
    Response: In this final rule, the Office is implementing the 
recommendation to reduce the proposed appeal fees so that meritorious 
appeals are not discouraged. This final rule lowers the fee for a 
Notice of Appeal to $800 (large entity) from the $1,000 (large entity) 
proposed in the NPRM. This is much lower than the current $1,260 (large 
entity) fee for the combined services of filing a Notice of Appeal and 
filing an appeal brief because the fee for filing an appeal brief is 
eliminated under the new structure. The fee for forwarding an appeal to 
the PTAB remains the same as proposed in the NPRM ($2,000 for large 
entities). Many applicants will pay less under the new structure 
because the forwarding fee will only apply to those that forward an 
appeal to the PTAB, which is estimated to be about 5 percent of 
applicants who receive a final rejection. However, the Office notes 
that these fees are set 43 percent below the cost of providing these 
services ($4,922 average historical cost). Therefore, decreasing the 
gap between the total cost incurred and the total fees charged is 
critical to recovering costs in the aggregate for the appeals process. 
For more information, please refer to the response to PPAC Comments 11 
and 12.
    The Office recognizes that applicants may in some cases need to 
appeal an examiner's decision and welcomes suggestions on improving the 
process. As noted in the response to PPAC Comment 11, the Office's data 
shows that in appeals decided on their merits by the PTAB, over 65 
percent result in affirmance of at least some of the rejected claims 
(see https://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/bpai/stats/receipts/fy2012_sep_e.jsp).
Ex Parte Reexamination Fees
    Comment 42: Several commenters stated that the $15,000 fee for ex 
parte reexamination is too high. One of the commenters proposed that ex 
parte reexaminations applied for by the owner of the patent and ex 
parte reexaminations ordered as a result of a supplemental examination 
should both not exceed $2,900. (A $2,900 fee is approximately 15 
percent above the fee for ex parte reexaminations that was effective 
prior to September 16, 2012, the effective date of the final rule. See 
Changes to Implement the Supplemental Examination Provisions of the 
Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and to Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 
48828 (Aug. 14, 2012)). The commenter further suggested that a patent 
owner is paying maintenance fees, which should subsidize the cost of 
owner-initiated ex parte reexaminations.
    Response: To achieve sufficient cost recovery while meeting the 
rulemaking goal to facilitate effective administration of the patent 
system, and given the long-term disparity between the fee and the cost, 
the Office must increase the reexamination fee. An analysis of the 
Office's ex parte reexamination costs revealed that the previous $2,520 
ex parte reexamination fee did not recover the Office's costs for that 
service. In fact, the Office's costs are approximately seven times the 
amount of the previous fee ($2,520) for an ex parte reexamination, 
which demonstrates that minor increases (10-15 percent) to the previous 
fee would also be insufficient. However, in response to comments from 
the PPAC and the public, the Office is reducing the fee for ex parte 
reexamination (proposed at a total of $15,000 for large entities) to 
$12,000 (large entity) in this final rule, which is 32 percent below 
the Office's cost for these services.
    The Office appreciates the suggestion that maintenance fees (which 
are paid for by the patent owner) subsidize reduced fees for ex parte 
reexaminations applied for by the patent owner. The fees in this final 
rule must overall be set, nevertheless, so that total aggregate revenue 
equals the total aggregate cost of patent operations. The fee structure 
sets many fees below the cost of processing and recovers the lost 
revenue from back-end fees such as maintenance fees, which are set 
above cost. If the Office were to reduce the fee for ex parte 
reexaminations, the Office would need to increase other fees to offset 
the lost revenue. In this final rule, the Office decided to set the ex 
parte reexamination fee so that the additional costs for this service 
are borne not by all patent holders (through the payment of maintenance 
fees as a commenter suggested), but instead only by those patent owners 
who require ex parte reexaminations. An applicant is not required to 
use the ex parte reexamination process. Finally, in this final rule, 
the Office sets reduced fee rates for small entity ($6,000) and micro 
entity patentees ($3,000) that require an ex parte reexamination to 
permit greater access to the ex parte reexamination process.
    Comment 43: Several commenters questioned the Office's cost basis 
for the reexamination fee. Some questioned why the ex parte 
reexamination fee was not more closely aligned with other patent 
services like a full initial examination, prioritized examination, or 
prosecuting an ex parte patent application. One of the commenters 
argued that a reexamination is generally more focused and limited than 
a full initial examination and questioned why the cost for ex parte 
reexamination is more than four times the cost for an initial search 
and examination. The commenter suggested that either the Office is 
using costing assumptions that are much too cautious, or the Office 
should apply its focus to reigning in the cost of ex parte 
reexamination. One of the commenters stated that the Office's cost for 
prosecuting an ex parte patent application is only $3,569, and said 
that this makes the $15,000 proposed fee for an ex parte reexamination 
excessive. Another commenter suggested that ex parte reexamination is 
more closely related to prioritized examination given the expedited 
nature of the service and

[[Page 4261]]

the need for one or more examiner interviews.
    Response: As stated in the response to PPAC Comment 14, requests 
for ex parte reexamination generally contain issues that are more 
complex than may be present in a typical patent application. As to the 
comparison of ex parte reexamination with prioritized examinations, 
applications under prioritized examination are required, in addition to 
including payment of the $4,000 fee (large entity) set in this rule, to 
contain no more than 4 independent claims, and no more than 30 total 
claims, in order to maintain prioritized status. In contrast, in ex 
parte reexamination practice, there is no limit on the number of patent 
claims that may be requested to be reexamined. Furthermore, 
applications under prioritized examination receive, on average, a final 
disposition within twelve months of prioritized status being granted. 
However, in ex parte reexamination practice, the Office must make a 
determination whether the request raises a substantial new question of 
patentability within three months after the filing date of each 
request.
    Nonetheless, after updating the patent operating plans and 
corresponding aggregate cost estimates in response to public comments, 
the Office determined it can reduce the ex parte reexamination fee 
further. In this final rule, the Office is reducing the fee for ex 
parte reexamination from $15,000 to $12,000 (large entity). The Office 
also notes that this rulemaking applies small and micro entity 
reductions to the ex parte reexamination fee, resulting in discounts of 
50 percent for small entities and 75 percent for micro entity 
patentees.
    Comment 44: A commenter suggested that the ex parte reexamination 
fee should be deferred until reexamination is ordered, so as to reduce 
the initial costs on patent owners. Another commenter suggested that it 
would be appropriate to apply a two-stage fee for the ex parte 
reexamination fee.
    Response: As explained in greater detail in the response to PPAC 
Comment 15, the Office elected not to adopt a pay-as-you-go approach to 
the ex parte reexamination fee, even though it is essentially a two-
part fee, to ensure fee payment and completion of the reexamination in 
a timely manner.
Supplemental Examination Fees
    Comment 45: Two commenters questioned the rationale that setting a 
high fee for supplemental examination would encourage applicants to 
submit all relevant information during initial examination. One 
commenter believed that the magnitude of the supplemental examination 
fee is inconsistent with the congressional intent in creating this 
process, which the commenter believes was to allow a patentee, without 
limitation, to bring to the USPTO's attention information relevant to 
the patent. The commenter felt that the USPTO's stated reason for 
setting the supplemental examination fee above cost is inconsistent 
with the policy objective of securing a complete, high-quality, and 
expeditious initial examination of a patent application. Instead, the 
commenter stated that making supplemental examination more accessible--
not less--encourages expeditious initial examination by serving as a 
back-up plan, allowing applicants to submit pertinent information 
later, thereby reducing the tendency to ``over disclose'' at the front-
end of the process. The other commenter suggested that patentees will 
use supplemental examination properly and efficiently and that the fee 
should be lowered to promote greater access to the procedure.
    Response: In the final rule to implement supplemental examination, 
the supplemental examination fees initially were set on a cost recovery 
basis, as required by 35 U.S.C. 41(d). See Changes to Implement the 
Supplemental Examination Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents 
Act and to Revise Reexamination Fees, 77 FR 48828 (Aug. 14, 2012). The 
supplemental examination final rule set a fee of $5,140 for processing 
and treating a request for supplemental examination, and a fee of 
$16,120 for conducting ex parte reexamination ordered as a result of a 
supplemental examination, resulting in a total fee of $21,260 
(excluding any applicable document size fees). The cost calculations 
relating to the supplemental examination final rule were published by 
the Office (``Cost Calculations for Supplemental Examination and 
Reexamination'') on its Web site at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/patents.jsp#heading-9.
    In response to stakeholder feedback, and after updating and 
carefully reviewing the aggregate cost and aggregate revenue of patent 
operations, the Office determined that it could reduce these fees in 
this final rule to $4,400 and $12,100, respectively, resulting in a 
total fee of $16,500 (excluding any applicable document size fees), 
which is 23 percent below the Office's costs for providing these 
services. In addition, the Office set reduced fee rates in this final 
rule for small ($8,250) and micro ($4,125) entities to permit greater 
access to the supplemental examination process.
    Per the requirements of section 10 of the AIA, the fees in this 
final rule are structured so that total aggregate revenue equals the 
total aggregate cost of patent operations. The fee structure sets many 
fees below cost and recovers the lost revenue from other fees, which 
are set above cost. As such, if the Office were to further reduce the 
fee for supplemental examination, the Office would have to increase 
other fees to offset the lost revenue. The Office determined not to 
further subsidize the cost of this service, as it would require the 
entire patent applicant community to bear the cost of services utilized 
by a limited number of patentees.
    Comment 46: A commenter questioned whether the supplemental 
examination fee proposed by USPTO is justified, and suggested that 
supplemental examination fees should be no more than those charged for 
filing ($280) and searching ($600) reissue applications, since the 
USPTO's expenses for these processes should be similar. As such, the 
commenter suggested that the large entity supplemental examination fee 
be no more than $880. Another commenter questioned the Office's 
rationale for setting supplemental examination fees at $18,000, given 
that a patentee requesting supplemental examination is required to 
provide a separate explanation of the relevance and manner of applying 
each item of information to each claim of the patent. The commenter 
stated that this fee stands in contrast to the average historical cost 
of less than $4,000 incurred by the Office where it independently 
conducts a complete search and examination. Another commenter suggested 
a total fee of $3,120 (the total fees for examining and issuing a 
reissue application) for conducting an ex parte reexamination following 
supplemental examination.
    Response: The supplemental examination process is more analogous to 
the ex parte reexamination process than to a reissue proceeding. In 
both supplemental examination and ex parte reexamination, the requester 
provides a separate explanation of the relevance and manner of applying 
each item of information to each claim of the patent, and the Office 
must determine whether a substantial new question of patentability is 
raised in the request within three months of the filing date of the 
request. Further, supplemental examination is enhanced beyond ex parte 
reexamination to involve information beyond the patents and

[[Page 4262]]

printed publications and beyond issues of anticipation and obviousness 
provided for in ex parte reexamination practice. Therefore, the Office 
based its estimate of the cost of supplemental examination proceedings 
on its costs for ex parte reexamination proceedings ($17,750), making 
adjustments as needed. See responses to Comments 42 and 45 for more 
information about how the Office set the fee for supplemental 
examination under 35 U.S.C. 41(d).
    Comment 47: A commenter suggested that ``staging'' the fees for 
supplemental examination would be preferable to charging the fees for 
the supplemental examination request and ex parte reexamination if 
ordered initially and then refunding the fee for reexamination when it 
is not ordered.
    Response: The Office has not adopted a pay-as-you-go approach, 
because that approach introduces risks related to nonpayment of fees 
and procedural delays related to collecting a separate fee after the 
Office grants a request for ex parte reexamination. See the Office's 
response to PPAC Comment 17 for more information.
    Comment 48: A commenter noted that a fee structure that permitted a 
patent owner to secure Office consideration, reconsideration, or 
correction of all desired items of information in one supplemental 
examination would be more reasonable than the current fee structure 
where a patent owner can secure Office review of only up to 12 items of 
information in a single supplemental examination request and must 
pursue additional supplemental examinations for additional items of 
information. The commenter recommended that the Office set an 
additional fee for each item of information over 12.
    Response: The supplemental examination procedure was designed to 
enable patent owners to present items of information for consideration, 
reconsideration, or correction. The Office is required to conduct and 
conclude supplemental examination within three months after a request 
is filed. In order to meet this timeframe, the Office is setting a 
limit of twelve items of information that a patent owner may submit to 
the Office in each request. The purpose of this limit is to strike a 
balance between the needs of the patent owner and the ability of the 
Office to timely conclude the proceeding. There is, however, no limit 
to the number of issues that these twelve items of information can 
raise, or to the number of separate requests for supplemental 
examination of the same patent that a patent owner can file at any 
time.
    Even though the basis for most inequitable conduct allegations is 
typically far fewer than ten items of information, the Office raised 
the limit to 12 items of information in response to the public's 
comments. A review of ex parte reexamination requests filed in FY 2011 
revealed that the requester relied on twelve or fewer documents in at 
least 93 percent of the requests. In addition, the Office is mindful of 
the time necessary for examiners to analyze the items of information 
submitted, particularly since the items are not limited to patents and 
printed publications, and since each item may raise multiple issues. 
Accordingly, the supplemental examination final rule limited the number 
of items of information to 12 to establish a procedure that not only is 
practical, but also enables an examiner to fully, comprehensively, and 
timely analyze all submitted items of information and issues to 
accurately determine whether there is a substantial new question of 
patentability.
    Comment 49: Some commenters questioned the Office's cost basis for 
the reexamination fee. One commenter questioned whether the Office 
based its prospective cost determination on the historical costs of all 
ex parte and inter partes reexaminations instead of only patentee-
initiated reexaminations, which are the closest corollaries to 
supplemental examination.
    Response: As noted in the Office's response to PPAC Comment 16, the 
Office does not separately track the time taken by examiners to process 
and analyze patentee-initiated ex parte reexaminations versus third 
party-requested ex parte reexaminations. The Office will continually 
monitor the actual costs associated with reexamination proceedings as 
this information becomes available and use it to inform future fee 
setting efforts.
Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, Covered Business Method Patent 
Review Fees
    Comment 50: Several commenters noted that post-grant review and 
inter partes review are new proceedings that are based on prospective 
costs (rather than historical costs). Specifically, one commenter 
suggested that the Office may have been too cautious in its estimates 
of prospective costs for post-grant review and inter partes review. The 
commenters recommended that the Office reevaluate the cost calculations 
for these proceedings as information from actual proceedings becomes 
available and adjust the fees once the true cost is known by 
experience.
    Response: The Office recognizes that the stated costs for the post-
grant review and inter partes review proceedings are based on 
prospective costs informed by the Office's managerial cost accounting 
data rather than historical costs. (See the Office's methodology to 
determine the cost of patent services in a supplemental document 
entitled, ``USPTO Section 10 Fee Setting--Activity-Based Information 
and Costing Methodology'' available on the USPTO Web site at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1.) As information 
on the actual cost of these proceedings becomes available, the Office 
will revisit the costs and fees for these proceedings, as suggested by 
the commenters, to ensure the respective fees are set at the 
appropriate levels.
    Comment 51: A commenter suggested that the post-grant review and 
inter partes review proceedings are overly complex and should require 
only three major submissions to the Board--the initial petition, the 
patent owner's response, and the petitioner's responsive comments. The 
commenter stated this type of a proceeding would establish a more 
streamlined and efficient set of rules that would produce significantly 
lower costs and fees for petitioners.
    Response: The AIA requires the Office to establish a procedure that 
involves more submissions than suggested by the commenter. For 
instance, 35 U.S.C. 313 provides that ``the patent owner shall have the 
right to file a preliminary response to the petition.'' Also 35 U.S.C. 
316(a) and 326(a) require the Office to establish procedures to permit 
the parties to submit supplemental information and allow the patent 
owner to amend the claims. Therefore, the USPTO cannot adopt the 
commenter's suggestion.
    Comment 52: A commenter supported the Office's decision in post-
grant and inter partes review proceedings to split the fees into a fee 
for the initial petition and a fee for proceeding after grant of a 
petition. Several commenters suggested that the Office should establish 
fees for other milestones, or ``stage'' the payment of separate fees, 
during these proceedings, such as at the request for an oral hearing 
and for a rehearing, thereby further reducing front-end costs and 
matching fees commensurate with the Office's work. One commenter 
suggested that the lack of this staging was a ``missed opportunity.'' 
Several commenters also supported additional fees during the 
proceedings for late-filed and additional motions, especially motions 
for supplemental discovery, because these actions could pose costs

[[Page 4263]]

on both the Office and the opposing party.
    Response: The AIA requires that the Office establish fees for inter 
partes review, post-grant review, and covered business method review to 
be paid by the person requesting the review. The fees paid by the 
person requesting the review are to be set considering the aggregate 
costs of the review. A ``pay-as-you-go'' approach would require patent 
owners to pay for some of the costs associated with the review, which 
is inconsistent with the statutory framework. In addition, if 
petitioners were required to pay for costs associated with additional 
submissions by patent owners, this could encourage patent owners to 
file additional submissions merely to increase costs for the 
petitioner.
    Comment 53: A commenter suggested that the Office consider 
increased fees for late filed motions to amend (e.g., after patent 
owner response), unless there is a new rejection, because such motions 
inject uncertainty and greater cost into the proceedings.
    Response: In prescribing the administrative trial final rules, the 
Office considered the effect of the regulations on the economy, the 
integrity of the patent system, the efficient administration of the 
Office, and the ability of the Office to timely complete proceedings. 
Those rules provide that late motions to amend may only be authorized 
when there is a good cause showing or a joint request of the petitioner 
and the patent owner to materially advance a settlement. Therefore, 
late motions to amend that impact the Office's ability to timely 
complete proceedings would be rare. Moreover, charging for late motions 
would require patent owners to pay for some of the costs associated 
with the reviews, which is inconsistent with the statutory framework.
    Comment 54: A commenter expressed support for the reduction in 
inter partes review fees from the fees set under 35 U.S.C. 41(d)(2). 
Another commenter expressed concern that many small businesses and non-
profits will not have the financial capital to pay large upfront fees 
for administrative trial proceedings under the proposed fee structure. 
As a result, they will turn to the classic district court litigation 
option (at a projected cost between $500,000 and $3.9 million per 
party) because of the ability to spread-out fees, even though that 
option is overall more expensive and less efficient. Because Congress 
intended the administrative trial proceedings to be a less expensive 
alternative to litigation, the commenter recommended that the USPTO 
change the structure of these fees to provide an option that 
distributes the fees over time throughout the course of the 
proceedings. Additionally, the commenter suggested that the proper 
benchmark for these fees is not merely a lower cost than litigation, 
but rather is a fee structure accessible to all.
    Response: The Office appreciates the commenter's support for the 
fee reductions made in this final rule as compared to fees previously 
set for the administrative trials under 35 U.S.C. 41(d). In this final 
rule, as proposed in the September NPRM, the Office sets the fees for 
inter partes review and post-grant review below cost recovery at what 
amounts to a 15 percent discount from the fees originally set under 
section 41(d)(2) authority.
    Regarding the distribution of fees throughout an administrative 
trial proceeding, the AIA requires that the fees for inter partes 
review and post-grant review be paid at the time of filing the 
petition. See 35 U.S.C. 312(a)(1) and 322(a)(1). Adopting a ``spread-
out'' fee system as suggested by the commenter would be contrary to the 
statute and congressional intent. Further, administrative trials before 
the Office will be conducted faster than district court litigation that 
on the average take a few years because, in the absence of good cause, 
the Office is required to issue the final determination in the review 
no later than one year after institution. See 35 U.S.C. 316(a)(11) and 
326(a)(11). Therefore, the benefit of distributing the fees over such a 
short time period would not be significant. Finally, in a ``spread-
out'' fee system, the petitioner could cause unnecessary delays through 
late payment or failure to pay required fees.
    Comment 55: A commenter stated that the proposed fees for 
administrative trial proceedings (e.g., inter partes review, post-grant 
review, and the transitional program for covered business patents) are 
too high for small businesses and non-profits. The commenter argued 
that the high fees for these proceedings would make them inaccessible 
to many stakeholders. The commenter therefore recommended that the 
USPTO revise the fee schedule to ensure accessibility to all 
stakeholders. Lower fees, the commenter argued, would better satisfy 
Congress's intent that proceedings be broadly accessible and the goal 
of creating a healthier, more efficient patent system.
    Response: As noted in the Office's response to Public Comment 22, 
the administrative trials are new services for which the Office has no 
historical cost basis. Setting the fees for these often complex and 
potentially costly services too far below their prospective costs is 
risky. In addition, the scope of section 10(b) of the AIA does not 
include the administrative trial services, which means that the Office 
cannot set small and micro entity fees for these services. The reduced 
fees in this final rule attempt to make these proceedings more 
accessible while recognizing the need to facilitate effective 
administration of the patent system. The Office will continually 
revisit the fees for these services to determine the right balance 
between the fee and the cost.
    Comment 56: A commenter argued that the fees for challenging each 
claim in excess of 20 in administrative trial proceedings are too high 
for small businesses and non-profits, and noted that the proposed fee 
structure would also create harmful incentives for patent applicants by 
rewarding applications containing numerous claims. The commenter gave 
the example that, for a post-grant review on a patent with 200 claims, 
the petition fees alone would amount to $174,000 and the petitioner 
must also incur additional costs relating to discovery. The commenter 
expressed concern that these high fees and the claim-based fee 
structure would make the new post-grant proceedings inaccessible for 
small businesses and non-profit organizations.
    Response: As previously discussed, the Office does not have 
statutory authority to provide a small or micro entity discount on fees 
for administrative trials. Additionally, in the Office's experience 
with administrative trials in the first few months after they became 
available, petitioners are not challenging an excessively large number 
of claims. The Office received a total of 80 petitions from September 
16, 2012, through November 30, 2012, and only 23 petitions challenged 
more than 20 claims (29 percent, 23 out of 80). The highest number of 
excess claims challenged thus far was 58 claims, which is far from the 
200 claims discussed in the commenter's example. In the petitions that 
challenge 20 claims or less, the average number of challenged claims 
was 11 claims, which is well below the 20 claims permitted without 
excess claims fees.
    The current experience in the number of challenged claims in inter 
partes review and covered business review is entirely consistent with 
historical data for reexaminations, i.e., that large number of claims 
are not often challenged even where one fee covers all claims 
challenged. (See Response to Comment 238 in Trial Final Rule, 77 FR 
48612, 48668 (Aug. 14, 2012)). Moreover, a party need not challenge all

[[Page 4264]]

claims in a patent, such as when only certain claims are alleged to be 
infringed by the party challenging the patent. Finally, the fee charged 
is to recover the total extra cost to the Office to review the larger 
number of claims, and given the balanced nature of the fee structure, 
if this fee did not recover costs, other fees would have to be 
increased.
    Comment 57: A commenter expressed concern that while there are $600 
and $800 fees per excess claims in inter partes review and post-grant 
review respectively, the fee is only $80 for claims in excess of 20 in 
a patent application. Therefore, the commenter argued that this would 
create an incentive for applicants to file applications with large 
numbers of patents claims in order to make it inaccessible for small 
businesses and non-profit organizations to challenge their patent 
through the new administrative trial procedures. By shutting out small 
businesses and non-profit organizations as third party challengers, the 
commenter asserted that the fee structure would have a negative effect 
on patent quality and innovation.
    Response: To date, the percentage of patents being challenged is 
very small. Through November 2012, the Office received a total of 80 
petitions for review. In contrast, the Office issues more than 10,000 
patents per month. Adding one claim in each of the patents would cost 
orders of magnitude more than paying for review of an additional claim 
given the large difference in the number of reviews relative to the 
number of patents. Furthermore, the review fees are set considering the 
total cost of conducting the proceedings. Setting the fees further 
below cost would require other patent applicants, namely innovators, to 
subsidize patent challengers since the aggregate cost of the Office 
must be recovered. The AIA requires that the fees for inter partes 
review and post-grant review be paid by the person requesting the 
review at the time of filing the petition. See, e.g., 35 U.S.C. 311 and 
312(a)(1). Finally, as previously discussed, the Office does not have 
statutory authority to provide a small or micro entity discount on fees 
for inter partes review and post-grant review.
    Comment 58: One commenter criticized the fee structure as 
subsidizing the prosecution of invalid patents. Because the costs of 
review are borne by the challenger, even when the patent is shown to be 
invalid, the commenter argued that the challenger pays the full price 
for performing a public service to remedy a problem created by the 
patent applicant and the Office. The commenter suggested that the 
Office establish a fee-shifting regime for inter partes reviews, post-
grant reviews, and covered business method patent reviews to address 
this free rider problem. Specifically, the commenter argues, if a 
patent is invalidated, the patent owner should be required to abandon 
the patent, commit to reimburse the challenger, or pay the costs and 
fees associated with the challenger's petition. In this way, the fee 
schedule would create the right incentives for applicants to undertake 
due diligence for the technology they claim to have invented.
    Response: The AIA requires that the fees for inter partes review 
and post-grant review be paid by the person requesting the review at 
the time of filing the petition. See, e.g., 35 U.S.C. 311 and 
312(a)(1). This final rule to reset those fees under the new authority 
in section 10 of the AIA does not provide for changing the entity 
paying the fee but rather the amount paid by the entity requesting 
review. Adopting a system as suggested by the commenter would be 
inconsistent with the statute and congressional intent.
Maintenance Fees
    Comment 59: A commenter expressed support for reasonable 
subsidization of selected patent-related services with income from 
maintenance fees, but suggested that the Office revisit its decision to 
impose such large maintenance fee increases. The commenter suggested 
that companies will have to counterbalance the maintenance fee 
increases with a decrease in application filings, which may have an 
unintended impact on USPTO operations.
    Response: The Office's proposed fee structure is designed to 
generate enough aggregate revenue to recover the aggregate cost of 
patent operations and support American innovation with low entry fees 
and a mechanism to release information into the public domain once a 
patent holder deems the value of their innovation is lower than the 
fees needed to maintain protection. The USPTO has carefully considered 
the effect of each of the fee changes in this final rule on the demand 
for the Office's services through an elasticity analysis and other 
reviews as described above. As discussed in response to PPAC Comment 
21, the Office will continually monitoring fees after this initial fee 
setting effort.
    Comment 60: A commenter questioned the Office's rationale for 
increasing the three maintenance fees at different rates. The commenter 
suggested that the USPTO reconsider these increases and provide a 
practical fee schedule with a clearer, more specific rationalization.
    Response: Keeping front-end fees below cost necessitates an 
increase in post-issuance fees. The Office selected a staged increase 
in maintenance fees, so that patent holders will pay higher maintenance 
fees later in the life of their patents, at a time when they can make 
more informed decisions regarding their patents' value in the 
marketplace.
Excess Claims Fees
    Comment 61: A commenter suggested that the Office's excess claims 
fees are illogical and too high. The commenter also questioned the 
rationale for thresholds of 20 total claims and three independent 
claims.
    Response: The fee difference between total claims in excess of 
twenty and independent claims in excess of three is based on the fact 
that an independent claim requires a completely separate prior art 
patentability determination. This requires more examination effort than 
required for a dependent claim, because the dependent claim is 
allowable over the prior art given that the claim from which it depends 
is allowable over the prior art. For example, if an applicant cancels 3 
independent claims and presents 17 new independent claims, to cover 17 
dependent claims that were previously allowed and are now rewritten in 
independent form, the applicant will receive 20 completely separate 
prior art patentability determinations (17 for the current independent 
claims and three for the independent claims previously presented and 
now canceled). Thus, requiring an applicant in this situation to pay 
for 14 independent claims in excess of three is reasonable. An 
applicant can avoid this situation by drafting claims in a chain from 
the broadest to which the applicant feels he/she is entitled to the 
narrowest the applicant is willing to accept, rather than drafting a 
set of dependent claims which all depend from an independent claim. To 
avoid excess claims fees, the applicant could also have canceled the 
original 3 independent claims, redrafted only 3 of the 17 dependent 
claims in independent form, and changed the dependency of the remaining 
14 claims. Also, after calculating the aggregate cost of patent 
operations as compared to the aggregate revenue generated from the 
patent fee schedule contained in this final rule, the Office determined 
that the excess claims fees will remain at the rate proposed so that 
other fees do not need to be increased to generate additional aggregate 
revenue to cover the aggregate cost of patent operations.

[[Page 4265]]

    Comment 62: A commenter stated that the 70 percent increase in the 
excess independent claim fees does not reflect the realities of 
prosecution practices and should be reduced. The commenter further 
suggested that most unrelated independent claims would be removed from 
the application through restrictions, leaving a closely related set of 
claims that would pose little additional burden to examiners. A second 
commenter stated that the increase in the excess independent claim fees 
does not reflect the realities of using a variety of claim types and 
scope during patent prosecution and should be reduced. The commenter 
explained that in technologies where multiple restriction requirements 
are often imposed, using high fees to prevent the filing of all claims 
necessary for a complete restriction requirement can effectively 
deprive applicants of the safe harbor for restricted claim groups under 
35 U.S.C. 121.
    Response: As set forth in MPEP 804, claims that are unrelated 
(e.g., unconnected in design, operation, and effect) are generally 
subject to restriction. Because independent claims in most applications 
are at least related, restriction requirements are usually based on a 
determination by the examiner that the claims are distinct. Therefore, 
the commenter's observation offers little relief from the burden 
imposed by excessive independent claims. The deterrent effect that 35 
U.S.C. 41 has provided against excess claims has been insufficient in 
the past. In view of the increasing rate of application filings and an 
increasing long term trend of more applications containing an excessive 
number of claims, the Office stated in 1998 that ``the problem with 
applications containing an excessive number of claims is now reaching a 
critical stage.'' See Changes to Implement the Patent Business Goals, 
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 63 FR 53497, 53507 (Oct. 5, 
1998). In addition to helping the Office meet its policy goals of 
reducing application processing time, application pendency, and 
examination burden, the increase in excess claims fees is also 
justified because fees paid by applicants filing a large number of 
claims will be more commensurate with the resources the Office must 
expend examining the large number of claims. For a detailed explanation 
on this topic, see the Office's response to PPAC Comment 12.
    Comment 63: A commenter stated that the proposed fee increase for 
excess claims from $250 to $420 is excessive. The commenter also 
suggested that the number of independent claims that may be presented 
without incurring a fee is too low, given that more than three 
independent claims are often necessary to effectively cover the varying 
aspects of a single invention. Another commenter noted that the Office 
does not provide historic costs for consideration of claims and it is 
not clear why a fourth independent claim would cost $420 to examine.
    Response: The Office realizes that excess claiming can be 
strategically useful to inventors in today's legal environment, but 
notes that excess claiming can be a significant burden to the patent 
system and the Office. The Office set the excess claims fees after 
carefully considering its policy goals of reducing application 
processing time, application pendency, and examination burden, and 
after considering how the increase in excess claims fees will allow the 
Office to recover the resources it must expend examining large numbers 
of claims. For a detailed explanation on this topic, see the Office's 
response to PPAC Comment 22.
Correct Inventorship Fee
    Comment 64: Several commenters suggested that the $1,000 fee for 
correcting inventorship after issuance of a first action on the merits 
is not appropriate in all cases. Two commenters noted that where claims 
are limited by amendments or restrictions during examination, inventors 
are commonly removed. Three commenters suggested that the fee would be 
more appropriate when an inventor is added to an application after the 
first action, but all expressed continued support for the fee's 
elimination or reduction. Another commenter stated that an applicant 
may need to remove inventors after the Office requires a restriction of 
claims. The commenter stated that applicants are often able to make 
these changes using Application Data Sheets, thereby removing the 
Office's expense in updating records. In these and related cases, the 
commenter suggested that the Office consider eliminating the fee or 
having a reduced fee where the applicant in good faith could not have 
anticipated such a requirement or could not have taken alternative 
action (e.g., correction via the Application Data Sheet).
    Response: After considering the comments submitted about the 
correct inventorship fee, the Office is reducing the fee to $600 (large 
entity rate) from the $1,000 fee proposed in the NPRM. Also, the Office 
has decided not to assess this fee if an applicant submits a statement 
that the request to correct or change the inventorship is due solely to 
the cancelation of claims in the application. See fee rationale at Part 
V. Individual Fee Rationale for more background information about this 
fee. For further explanation about why this fee will be charged in the 
various circumstances identified above by commenters, see the Office's 
response to PPAC Comment 23.
Assignment Fees
    Comment 65: A commenter recommended that the USPTO either (1) 
provide an automated assignment recordation framework by linking the 
Electronic Filing System (EFS-Web) and the Electronic Patent Assignment 
System (EPAS), or (2) authorize the transfer of a patent from the 
inventor to the original applicant without the recordation of an 
assignment.
    Response: 37 CFR 1.46(b)(1) provides that for assignee-applicants, 
evidence of the assignment or obligation to assign should be recorded 
in the Office ``no later than the date the issue fee is paid in the 
application.'' Accordingly, assignment recordation is not a 
prerequisite for the transfer of rights in an application from an 
inventor to an assignee. With regard to linking EFS-Web and EPAS, the 
Office has already instituted a process that allows the Office to 
transfer data from one system to the other for the limited purpose of 
facilitating the filing of ``assignment statements'' in patent 
applications. An ``assignment statement'' is an assignment that 
contains the information and statements of an oath or declaration. As 
explained in the AIA Inventor's Oath or Declaration Quick Reference 
Guide, the patent application must first be filed via EFS-Web. Then, 
preferably on the same day the application was filed via EFS-Web, the 
assignment-statement should be recorded in EPAS. There is a box in EPAS 
that the applicant must check in order to notify the Office that the 
assignment statement is being used as the inventor's oath or 
declaration. The Office will then place a copy of the assignment 
statement into the application file. The Guide is available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/inventors-oath-or-declaration-quick-reference-guide.pdf.

VII. Discussion of Specific Rules

    In this section the Office provides tables of all fees set or 
adjusted in the final rule. To permit the reader to crosswalk the fee 
changes contained in this final rule with individual fee amounts 
contained in the Office's fee schedule (see https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee100512.htm), Tables 42 through 52 contain a 
distinct row for each individual grouping of fee

[[Page 4266]]

codes (i.e., large, small, and micro entity). Therefore, when multiple 
types of fees are contained within the same CFR section (e.g., 
application size fees at 1.16(s)), the Office lists each type of fee 
and its associated fee code separately (e.g., utility, design, plant, 
reissue, and provisional application size fees). Thus, where 
appropriate, the CFR sections are repeated for each of the respected 
fee codes in the tables.
    When rules are added or modified for reasons other than fee amount 
changes, the Office provides explanatory language after the respective 
table summarizing the fee amount changes (i.e., Sec.  1.17 fees for 
correction of inventorship).
    Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 1, 41, and 42 
are amended to read as follows:
    Section 1.16: Sections 1.16(a) through (s) are amended to set forth 
the application filing, excess claims, search, examination, and 
application size fees for patent applications filed as authorized under 
section 10 of the Act. This section would no longer distinguish between 
applications filed before or after December 8, 2004, because section 11 
of the AIA no longer makes the distinction. The changes to the fee 
amounts indicated in Sec.  1.16 are shown in Table 42.

                                                                        Table 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)          Final fees  (dollars)
               CFR section                    Fee code              Description         ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.16(a).................................    1011/2011/3011  Basic Filing Fee--Utility..          390          195          280          140           70
1.16(a).................................              4011  Basic Filing Fee--Utility            N/A           98          N/A           70          N/A
                                                             (electronic filing for
                                                             small entities).
1.16(b).................................    1012/2012/3012  Basic Filing Fee--Design...          250          125          180           90           45
1.16(b).................................    1017/2017/3017  Basic Filing Fee--Design             250          125          180           90           45
                                                             (CPA).
1.16(c).................................    1013/2013/3013  Basic Filing Fee--Plant....          250          125          180           90           45
1.16(d).................................    1005/2005/3005  Provisional Application              250          125          260          130           65
                                                             Filing Fee.
1.16(e).................................    1014/2014/3014  Basic Filing Fee--Reissue..          390          195          280          140           70
1.16(e).................................    1019/2019/3019  Basic Filing Fee--Reissue            390          195          280          140           70
                                                             (CPA).
1.16(f).................................    1051/2051/3051  Surcharge--Late Filing Fee,          130           65          140           70           35
                                                             Search Fee, Examination
                                                             Fee or Oath or Declaration.
1.16(g).................................    1052/2052/3052  Surcharge--Late Provisional           50           25           60           30           15
                                                             Filing Fee or Cover Sheet.
1.16(h).................................    1201/2201/3201  Independent Claims in                250          125          420          210          105
                                                             Excess of Three.
1.16(h).................................    1204/2204/3204  Reissue Independent Claims           250          125          420          210          105
                                                             in Excess of Three.
1.16(i).................................    1202/2202/3202  Claims in Excess of 20.....           62           31           80           40           20
1.16(i).................................    1205/2205/3205  Reissue Claims in Excess of           62           31           80           40           20
                                                             20.
1.16(j).................................    1203/2203/3203  Multiple Dependent Claim...          460          230          780          390          195
1.16(k).................................    1111/2111/3111  Utility Search Fee.........          620          310          600          300          150
1.16(l).................................    1112/2112/3112  Design Search Fee..........          120           60          120           60           30
1.16(m).................................    1113/2113/3113  Plant Search Fee...........          380          190          380          190           95
1.16(n).................................    1114/2114/3114  Reissue Search Fee.........          620          310          600          300          150
1.16(o).................................    1311/2311/3311  Utility Examination Fee....          250          125          720          360          180
1.16(p).................................    1312/2312/3312  Design Examination Fee.....          160           80          460          230          115
1.16(q).................................    1313/2313/3313  Plant Examination Fee......          200          100          580          290          145
1.16(r).................................    1314/2314/3314  Reissue Examination Fee....          760          380        2,160        1,080          540
1.16(s).................................    1081/2081/3081  Utility Application Size             320          160          400          200          100
                                                             Fee--For Each Additional
                                                             50 Sheets That Exceeds 100
                                                             Sheets.
1.16(s).................................    1082/2082/3082  Design Application Size....          320          160          400          200          100
                                                            Fee--For Each Additional 50
                                                             Sheets That Exceeds 100
                                                             Sheets.
1.16(s).................................    1083/2083/3083  Plant Application Size Fee--         320          160          400          200          100
                                                             For Each Additional 50
                                                             Sheets That Exceeds 100
                                                             Sheets.
1.16(s).................................    1084/2084/3084  Reissue Application Size...          320          160          400          200          100
                                                            Fee--For Each Additional 50
                                                             Sheets That Exceeds 100
                                                             Sheets.
1.16(s).................................    1085/2085/3085  Provisional Application              320          160          400          200          100
                                                             Size Fee--For Each
                                                             Additional 50 Sheets That
                                                             Exceeds 100 Sheets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 4267]]

    Section 1.17: Sections 1.17(a)(1) through (a)(5), (c), (e) through 
(i), (k) through (m), and (p) through (t) are amended and (d) and 
(e)(2) are added to set forth the application processing fees as 
authorized under section 10 of the Act. The changes to the fee amounts 
indicated in Sec.  1.17 are shown in Table 43.

                                                                        Table 43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees (dollars)            Final fees (dollars)
             CFR section                  Fee code                Description           ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.17(a)(1)..........................    1251/2251/3251  Extension for Response Within            150           75          200          100           50
                                                         First Month.
1.17(a)(2)..........................    1252/2252/3252  Extension for Response Within            570          285          600          300          150
                                                         Second Month.
1.17(a)(3)..........................    1253/2253/3253  Extension for Response Within          1,290          645        1,400          700          350
                                                         Third Month.
1.17(a)(4)..........................    1254/2254/3254  Extension for Response Within          2,010        1,005        2,200        1,100          550
                                                         Fourth Month.
1.17(a)(5)..........................    1255/2255/3255  Extension for Response Within          2,730        1,365        3,000        1,500          750
                                                         Fifth Month.
1.17(c).............................    1817/2817/3817  Request for Prioritized                4,800        2,400        4,000        2,000        1,000
                                                         Examination.
1.17(d).............................               NEW  Correct Inventorship After               N/A          N/A          600          300          150
                                                         First Action on Merits.
1.17(e)(1)..........................    1801/2801/3801  Request for Continued                    930          465        1,200          600          300
                                                         Examination (RCE) (1st
                                                         request) (see 37 CFR 1.114).
1.17(e)(2)..........................               NEW  Request for Continued                    N/A          N/A        1,700          850          425
                                                         Examination (RCE) (2nd and
                                                         subsequent request).
1.17(f).............................    1462/2462/3462  Petitions Requiring the                  400          N/A          400          200          100
                                                         Petition Fee Set Forth in 37
                                                         CFR 1.17(f) (Group I).
1.17(g).............................    1463/2463/3463  Petitions Requiring the                  200          N/A          200          100           50
                                                         Petition Fee Set Forth in 37
                                                         CFR 1.17(g) (Group II).
1.17(h).............................    1464/2464/3464  Petitions Requiring the                  130          N/A          140           70           35
                                                         Petition Fee Set Forth in 37
                                                         CFR 1.17(h) (Group III).
1.17(i)(1)..........................    1053/2053/3053  Non-English Specification......          130          N/A          140           70           35
1.17(i)(2)..........................              1808  Other Publication Processing             130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                         Fee.
1.17(i)(2)..........................              1803  Request for Voluntary                    130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                         Publication or Republication.
1.17(k).............................              1802  Request for Expedited                    900          N/A          900          450          225
                                                         Examination of a Design
                                                         Application.
1.17(l).............................    1452/2452/3452  Petition to Revive Unavoidably           630          315          640          320          160
                                                         Abandoned Application.
1.17(m).............................    1453/2453/3453  Petition to Revive                     1,890          945        1,900          950          475
                                                         Unintentionally Abandoned
                                                         Application.
1.17(p).............................    1806/2806/3806  Submission of an Information             180          N/A          180           90           45
                                                         Disclosure Statement.
1.17(q).............................              1807  Processing Fee for Provisional            50          N/A           50          N/A          N/A
                                                         Applications.
1.17(r).............................    1809/2809/3809  Filing a Submission After Final          810          405          840          420          210
                                                         Rejection (see 37 CFR
                                                         1.129(a)).
1.17(s).............................    1810/2810/3810  For Each Additional Invention            810          405          840          420          210
                                                         to be Examined (see 37 CFR
                                                         1.129(b)).
1.17(t).............................    1454/2454/3454  Acceptance of an                       1,410          N/A        1,420          710          355
                                                         Unintentionally Delayed Claim
                                                         for Priority, or for Filing a
                                                         Request for the Restoration of
                                                         the Right of Priority.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Correction of Inventorship: The Office sets the fee to correct 
inventorship after the first action on the merits at $600 to encourage 
reasonable diligence and a bona fide effort to ascertain the actual 
inventorship as early as possible and to provide that information to 
the Office prior to examination. As discussed in Part V. Individual Fee 
Rationale, the fee will not be required when inventors are deleted and 
the request to correct or change inventorship is accompanied by a 
statement that the request to correct or change the inventorship is due 
solely to

[[Page 4268]]

the cancelation of claims in the application.
    Section 1.17(d) is added, as follows: For correction of 
inventorship in an application after the first action on the merits:

By a micro entity (Sec.   1.29)............................      $150.00
By a small entity (Sec.   1.27(a)).........................       300.00
By other than a small or micro entity......................       600.00
 

    Request for Continued Examination (RCE): As discussed in Part V. 
Individual Fee Rationale, section of this final rule, the Office 
divides the fee for RCEs into two parts: (1) A lower fee for a first 
RCE; and (2) a second, higher fee for a second or subsequent RCE.
    Section 1.17(e) is amended as follows: To request continued 
examination pursuant to Sec.  1.114:
    (1) For filing a first request for continued examination pursuant 
to Sec.  1.114 in an application:

By a micro entity (Sec.   1.29)............................      $300.00
By a small entity (Sec.   1.27(a)).........................       600.00
By other than a small or micro entity......................     1,200.00
 

    (2) For filing a second or subsequent request for continued 
examination pursuant to Sec.  1.114 in an application:

By a micro entity (Sec.   1.29)............................      $425.00
By a small entity (Sec.   1.27(a)).........................       850.00
By other than a small or micro entity......................     1,700.00
 

    Section 1.18: Sections 1.18(a) through (f) are amended to set forth 
the patent issue fees as authorized under section 10 of the Act. This 
section now distinguishes between issue and publication fees paid 
before or after January 1, 2014. The changes to the fee amounts 
indicated in Sec.  1.18 are shown in Table 44.

                                                                        Table 44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees (dollars)            Final fees (dollars)
             CFR section                  Fee code                Description           ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.18(a)(1)..........................    1501/2501/3501  Utility Issue Fee, paid on or          1,770          885          960          480          240
                                                         after January 1, 2014.
1.18(a)(1)..........................    1511/2511/3511  Reissue Issue Fee, paid on or          1,770          885          960          480          240
                                                         after January 1, 2014.
1.18(a)(2)..........................    1501/2501/3501  Utility Issue Fee, paid before         1,770          885        1,780          890          445
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(a)(2)..........................    1511/2511/3511  Reissue Issue Fee, paid before         1,770          885          960          480          240
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(b)(1)..........................    1502/2502/3502  Design Issue Fee, paid on or           1,010          505          560          280          140
                                                         after January 1, 2014.
1.18(b)(2)..........................    1502/2502/3502  Design Issue Fee, paid before          1,010          505        1,020          510          255
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(c)(1)..........................    1503/2503/3503  Plant Issue Fee, paid on or            1,390          695          760          380          190
                                                         after January 1, 2014.
1.18(c)(2)..........................    1503/2503/3503  Plant Issue Fee, paid before           1,390          695        1,400          700          350
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(d)(1)..........................              1504  Publication Fee for Early,               300          N/A            0          N/A          N/A
                                                         Voluntary, or Normal
                                                         Publication, paid on or after
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(d)(2)..........................              1504  Publication Fee for Early,               300          N/A          300          N/A          N/A
                                                         Voluntary, or Normal
                                                         Publication, paid before
                                                         January 1, 2014.
1.18(d)(3)..........................              1505  Publication Fee for                      300          N/A          300          N/A          N/A
                                                         Republication.
1.18(e).............................              1455  Filing an Application for                200          N/A          200          N/A          N/A
                                                         Patent Term Adjustment.
1.18(f).............................              1456  Request for Reinstatement of             400          N/A          400          N/A          N/A
                                                         Term Reduced.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Publication Fees: As discussed in Part V. Individual Fee Rationale, 
the Office is not adjusting fee for republication of a patent 
application (1.18(d)(2)). The Office keeps this fee at its existing 
rate for each patent application that must be published again after a 
first publication for $0.
    Section 1.18 is amended by revising paragraph (d) to include:

(1) Publication fee on or after January 1, 2014............        $0.00
(2) Publication fee before January 1, 2014.................       300.00
(3) Republication fee (Sec.   1.221(a))....................       300.00
 

    Section 1.19: Sections 1.19(a) through (g) are amended to set forth 
the patent document supply fees as authorized under section 10 of the 
Act. The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  1.19 are shown 
in Table 45.

[[Page 4269]]



                                                                        Table 45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)          Final fees  (dollars)
              CFR section                  Fee code              Description            ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.19(a)(1).............................         8001  Printed Copy of Patent w/o Color,            3          N/A            3          N/A          N/A
                                                       Delivery by USPS, USPTO Box, or
                                                       Electronic Means.
1.19(a)(2).............................         8003  Printed Copy of Plant Patent in             15          N/A           15          N/A          N/A
                                                       Color.
1.19(a)(3).............................         8004  Color Copy of Patent (other than            25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                       plant patent) or SIR Containing
                                                       a Color Drawing.
1.19(a)(1).............................         8005  Patent Application Publication               3          N/A            3          N/A          N/A
                                                       (PAP).
1.19(b)(1)(i)(A).......................         8007  Copy of Patent Application as               20          N/A           20          N/A          N/A
                                                       Filed.
1.19(b)(1)(i)(B).......................         8008  Copy of Patent-Related File                200          N/A          200          N/A          N/A
                                                       Wrapper and Contents of 400 or
                                                       Fewer Pages, if Provided on
                                                       Paper.
1.19(b)(1)(i)(C).......................         8009  Additional Fee for Each                     40          N/A           40          N/A          N/A
                                                       Additional 100 Pages of Patent-
                                                       Related File Wrapper and (Paper)
                                                       Contents, or Portion Thereof.
1.19(b)(1)(i)(D).......................         8010  Individual Application Documents,           25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                       Other Than Application as Filed,
                                                       per Document.
1.19(b)(1)(ii)(A)......................         8007  Copy of Patent Application as               20          N/A           20          N/A          N/A
                                                       Filed.
1.19(b)(1)(ii)(B)......................         8011  Copy of Patent-Related File                 55          N/A           55          N/A          N/A
                                                       Wrapper and Contents if Provided
                                                       Electronically or on a Physical
                                                       Electronic Medium as Specified
                                                       in 1.19(b)(1)(ii).
1.19(b)(1)(ii)(C)......................         8012  Additional Fee for Each                     15          N/A           15          N/A          N/A
                                                       Continuing Physical Electronic
                                                       Medium in Single Order of
                                                       1.19(b)(1)(ii)(B).
1.19(b)(1)(iii)(A).....................         8007  Copy of Patent Application as               20          N/A           20          N/A          N/A
                                                       Filed.
1.19(b)(1)(iii)(B).....................         8011  Copy of Patent-Related File                 55          N/A           55          N/A          N/A
                                                       Wrapper and Contents if Provided
                                                       Electronically or on a Physical
                                                       Electronic Medium.
1.19(b)(2)(i)(A).......................         8041  Copy of Patent-Related File                 55          N/A           55          N/A          N/A
                                                       Wrapper Contents That Were
                                                       Submitted and Are Stored on
                                                       Compact Disk or Other Electronic
                                                       Form (e.g., compact disks stored
                                                       in artifact folder), Other Than
                                                       as Available in 1.19(b)(1);
                                                       First Physical Electronic Medium
                                                       in a Single Order.
1.19(b)(2)(i)(B).......................         8042  Additional Fee for Each                     15          N/A           15          N/A          N/A
                                                       Continuing Copy of Patent-
                                                       Related File Wrapper Contents as
                                                       Specified in 1.19(b)(2)(i)(A).
1.19(b)(2)(ii).........................         8043  Copy of Patent-Related File                 55          N/A           55          N/A          N/A
                                                       Wrapper Contents That Were
                                                       Submitted and are Stored on
                                                       Compact Disk, or Other
                                                       Electronic Form, Other Than as
                                                       Available in 1.19(b)(1); If
                                                       Provided Electronically Other
                                                       Than on a Physical Electronic
                                                       Medium, per Order.
1.19(b)(3).............................         8013  Copy of Office Records, Except              25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                       Copies of Applications as Filed.
1.19(b)(4).............................         8014  For Assignment Records, Abstract            25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                       of Title and Certification, per
                                                       Patent.
1.19(c)................................         8904  Library Service..................           50          N/A           50          N/A          N/A
1.19(d)................................         8015  List of U.S. Patents and SIRs in             3          N/A            3          N/A          N/A
                                                       Subclass.
1.19(e)................................         8016  Uncertified Statement re Status             10          N/A           10          N/A          N/A
                                                       of Maintenance Fee Payments.
1.19(f)................................         8017  Copy of Non-U.S. Document........           25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A

[[Page 4270]]

 
1.19(g)................................         8050  Petitions for Documents In Form        AT COST          N/A      AT COST          N/A          N/A
                                                       Other Than That Provided By This
                                                       Part, or In Form Other Than That
                                                       Generally Provided by Director,
                                                       to be Decided in Accordance With
                                                       Merits.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 1.20: Sections 1.20(a) through (k) are amended to set forth 
the reexamination fees, disclaimer fees, maintenance fees, and 
supplemental examination fees as authorized under section 10 of the 
Act. The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  1.20 are shown 
in Table 46.

                                                                        Table 46
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees (dollars)            Final fees (dollars)
             CFR section                  Fee code                Description           ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.20(a).............................              1811  Certificate of Correction......          100          N/A          100          N/A          N/A
1.20(b).............................              1816  Processing Fee for Correcting            130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                         Inventorship in a Patent.
1.20(c)(1)..........................              1812  Request for Ex Parte                  17,750          N/A       12,000        6,000        3,000
                                                         Reexamination.
1.20(c)(3)..........................    1821/2821/3821  Reexamination Independent                250          125          420          210          105
                                                         Claims in Excess of Three and
                                                         also in Excess of the Number
                                                         of Such Claims in the Patent
                                                         Under Reexamination.
1.20(c)(4)..........................    1822/2822/3822  Reexamination Claims in Excess            62           31           80           40           20
                                                         of 20 and Also in Excess of
                                                         the Number of Claims in the
                                                         Patent Under Reexamination.
1.20(c)(6)..........................              1824  Filing a Petition in a                 1,930          N/A        1,940          970          485
                                                         Reexamination Proceeding,
                                                         Except for Those Specifically
                                                         Enumerated in Sec.  Sec.
                                                         1.550(i) and 1.937(d).
1.20(c)(7)..........................              1812  For a Refused Request for Ex             830          N/A        3,600        1,800          900
                                                         parte Reexamination Under Sec.
                                                           1.510 (included in the
                                                         request for ex parte
                                                         reexamination fee at
                                                         1.20(c)(1)).
1.20(d).............................         1814/2814  Statutory Disclaimer, Including          160           80          160          N/A          N/A
                                                         Terminal Disclaimer.
1.20(e).............................    1551/2551/3551  Maintenance Fee Due at 3.5             1,150          575        1,600          800          400
                                                         Years.
1.20(f).............................    1552/2552/3552  Maintenance Fee Due at 7.5             2,900        1,450        3,600        1,800          900
                                                         Years.
1.20(g).............................    1553/2553/3553  Maintenance Fee Due at 11.5            4,810        2,405        7,400        3,700        1,850
                                                         Years.
1.20(h).............................    1554/2554/3554  Maintenance Fee Surcharge--3.5           150           75          160           80           40
                                                         Years--Late Payment Within 6
                                                         Months.
1.20(h).............................    1555/2555/3555  Maintenance Fee Surcharge--7.5           150           75          160           80           40
                                                         Years--Late Payment Within 6
                                                         Months.
1.20(h).............................    1556/2556/3556  Maintenance Fee Surcharge--11.5          150           75          160           80           40
                                                         Years--Late Payment Within 6
                                                         Months.
1.20(i)(1)..........................    1557/2557/3557  Maintenance Fee Surcharge After          700          N/A          700          350          175
                                                         Expiration--Late Payment is
                                                         Unavoidable.
1.20(i)(2)..........................    1558/2558/3558  Maintenance Fee Surcharge After        1,640          N/A        1,640          820          410
                                                         Expiration--Late Payment is
                                                         Unintentional.

[[Page 4271]]

 
1.20(j)(1)..........................              1457  Extension of Term of Patent....        1,120          N/A        1,120          N/A          N/A
1.20(j)(2)..........................              1458  Initial Application for Interim          420          N/A          420          N/A          N/A
                                                         Extension (see 37 CFR 1.790).
1.20(j)(3)..........................              1459  Subsequent Application for               220          N/A          220          N/A          N/A
                                                         Interim Extension (see 37 CFR
                                                         1.790).
1.20(k)(1)..........................              1826  Processing and Treating a              5,140          N/A        4,400        2,200        1,100
                                                         Request for Supplemental
                                                         Examination.
1.20(k)(2)..........................              1827  Ex Parte Reexamination Ordered        16,120          N/A       12,100        6,050        3,025
                                                         as a Result of a Supplemental
                                                         Examination Proceeding.
1.20(k)(3)(i).......................              1828  For Processing and Treating, in          170          N/A          180           90           45
                                                         a Supplemental Examination
                                                         Proceeding, a Non-Patent
                                                         Document Over 20 Sheets in
                                                         Length, per Document Between
                                                         21-50 Pages.
1.20(k)(3)(ii)......................              1829  For Processing and Treating, in          280          N/A          280          140           70
                                                         a Supplemental Examination
                                                         Proceeding, a Non-Patent
                                                         Document Over 20 Sheets in
                                                         Length, per Document for Each
                                                         Additional 50 Sheets or
                                                         Fraction Thereof.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 1.21: Sections 1.21(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(4), (a)(5), (a)(7), 
(a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(10), (e), (g) through (k), and (n) are amended to 
set forth miscellaneous fees and charges as authorized under section 10 
of the Act. This section includes a fee related to the enrollment of 
registered patent attorneys and agents (see Sec.  1.21(a)(7)), the 
collection of which has been stayed since 2009. See www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/practitioner/agents/forregisteredpractitioners.jsp. In the 
calculations for this rulemaking, the Office has assumed that it will 
not collect these fees. The Office also has published a separate Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register, Changes to 
Representation of Others Before the United States Patent and Trademark 
Office, 77 FR 64190 (Oct. 18, 2012), in which it has proposed to remove 
these fees entirely. Although that rulemaking may remove the fee 
entirely, it will not affect this rulemaking since the Office has 
assumed in this rulemaking that it will not collect the fee. The 
changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  1.21 are shown in Table 
47.

                                                                        Table 47
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees (dollars)            Final fees (dollars)
                 CFR section                   Fee code            Description          ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.21(a)(1)(i)...............................       9001  Application Fee (non-                    40          N/A           40          N/A          N/A
                                                          refundable).
1.21(a)(1)(ii)(A)...........................       9010  For Test Administration by              200          N/A          200          N/A          N/A
                                                          Commercial Entity.
1.21(a)(1)(ii)(B)...........................       9011  For Test Administration by the          450          N/A          450          N/A          N/A
                                                          USPTO.
1.21(a)(2)..................................       9003  Registration to Practice or             100          N/A          100          N/A          N/A
                                                          Grant of Limited Recognition
                                                          under Sec.   11.9(b) or (c).
1.21(a)(2)..................................       9025  Registration to Practice for            100          N/A          100          N/A          N/A
                                                          Change of Practitioner Type.
1.21(a)(4)..................................       9005  Certificate of Good Standing             10          N/A           10          N/A          N/A
                                                          as an Attorney or Agent.
1.21(a)(4)(i)...............................       9006  Certificate of Good Standing             20          N/A           20          N/A          N/A
                                                          as an Attorney or Agent,
                                                          Suitable for Framing.
1.21(a)(5)(i)...............................       9012  Review of Decision by the               130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                          Director of Enrollment and
                                                          Discipline under Sec.
                                                          11.2(c).
1.21(a)(5)(ii)..............................       9013  Review of Decision of the               130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                          Director of Enrollment and
                                                          Discipline under Sec.
                                                          11.2(d).

[[Page 4272]]

 
1.21(a)(7)(i)...............................       9015  Annual Fee for Registered               118          N/A          120          N/A          N/A
                                                          Attorney or Agent in Active
                                                          Status.
1.21(a)(7)(ii)..............................       9016  Annual Fee for Registered                25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                          Attorney or Agent in
                                                          Voluntary Inactive Status.
1.21(a)(7)(iii).............................       9017  Requesting Restoration to                50          N/A           50          N/A          N/A
                                                          Active Status from Voluntary
                                                          Inactive Status.
1.21(a)(7)(iv)..............................       9018  Balance of Annual Fee Due upon           93          N/A          100          N/A          N/A
                                                          Restoration to Active Status
                                                          from Voluntary Inactive
                                                          Status.
1.21(a)(8)..................................       9019  Annual Fee for Individual               118          N/A          120          N/A          N/A
                                                          Granted Limited Recognition.
1.21(a)(9)(i)...............................       9020  Delinquency Fee for Annual Fee           50          N/A           50          N/A          N/A
1.21(a)(9)(ii)..............................       9004  Reinstatement to Practice.....          100          N/A          100          N/A          N/A
1.21(a)(10).................................       9014  Application Fee for Person            1,600          N/A        1,600          N/A          N/A
                                                          Disciplined, Convicted of a
                                                          Felony or Certain
                                                          Misdemeanors under Sec.
                                                          11.7(h).
1.21(e).....................................       8020  International Type Search                40          N/A           40          N/A          N/A
                                                          Report.
1.21(g).....................................       8902  Self-Service Copy Charge, per          0.25          N/A         0.25          N/A          N/A
                                                          Page.
1.21(h)(1)..................................        NEW  Recording Each Patent                   N/A          N/A            0          N/A          N/A
                                                          Assignment, Agreement or
                                                          Other Paper, per Property if
                                                          Submitted Electronically.
1.21(h)(2)..................................       8021  Recording Each Patent                    40          N/A           40          N/A          N/A
                                                          Assignment, Agreement or
                                                          Other Paper, per Property if
                                                          not Submitted Electronically.
1.21(i).....................................       8022  Publication in Official                  25          N/A           25          N/A          N/A
                                                          Gazette.
1.21(j).....................................       8023  Labor Charges for Services,              40          N/A           40          N/A          N/A
                                                          per Hour or Fraction Thereof.
1.21(k).....................................       8024  Unspecified Other Services,         AT COST          N/A      AT COST          N/A          N/A
                                                          Excluding Labor.
1.21(k).....................................       9024  Unspecified Other Services,         AT COST          N/A      AT COST          N/A          N/A
                                                          Excluding Labor.
1.21(n).....................................       8026  Handling Fee for Incomplete or          130          N/A          130          N/A          N/A
                                                          Improper Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 1.21 is amended by revising paragraph (h) as follows: For 
recording each assignment, agreement, or other paper relating to the 
property in a patent or application, per property:

If submitted electronically, on or after January 1, 2014...        $0.00
If not submitted electronically............................        40.00
 

    Section 1.27: Section 1.27(c)(3) is amended to provide that the 
payment of the exact amount of the small entity transmittal fee set 
forth in Sec.  1.445(a)(1) or the small entity international search fee 
set forth in Sec.  1.445(a)(2) to a Receiving Office other than the 
United States Receiving Office in the exact amount established for that 
Receiving Office pursuant to PCT Rule 16 will also be treated as a 
written assertion of entitlement to small entity status. This change 
applies the national practice of permitting an applicant to obtain 
small entity status by payment of certain national fees in the small 
entity amount to international applications.
    Section 1.27 is amended to include the following language at 
paragraph (c)(3):
    Assertion by payment of the small entity basic filing, basic 
transmittal, basic national fee, or international search fee. The 
payment, by any party, of the exact amount of one of the small entity 
basic filing fees set forth in Sec.  1.16(a), 1.16(b), 1.16(c), 
1.16(d), 1.16(e), the small entity transmittal fee set forth in Sec.  
1.445(a)(1), the small entity international search fee set forth in 
Sec.  1.445(a)(2) to a Receiving Office other than the United States 
Receiving Office in the exact amount established for that Receiving 
Office pursuant to PCT Rule 16, or the small entity basic national fee 
set forth in Sec.  1.492(a), will be treated as a written assertion of 
entitlement to small entity status even if the type of basic filing, 
basic transmittal, or basic national fee is inadvertently selected in 
error.
* * * * *
    Section 1.445: Sections 1.445(a)(1)(i), and (a)(2) through (a)(4) 
are amended to set forth the international application transmittal and 
search fees as authorized under section 10 of the Act. This section now 
distinguishes between issue and publication fees paid before or after 
January 1, 2014. The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  
1.445 are shown in Table 48.

[[Page 4273]]



                                                                        Table 48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees (dollars)    Final fees (dollars) Effective Jan.
                                                                                        --------------------------                1, 2014
                 CFR section                   Fee code            Description                                    --------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.445(a)(1)(i)(A) and (B)...................       1601  PCT International Stage                 240          N/A          240          120           60
                                                          Transmittal Fee.
1.445(a)(2)(i) and (ii).....................       1602  PCT International Stage Search        2,080          N/A        2,080        1,040          520
                                                          Fee--Regardless of Whether
                                                          There is a Corresponding
                                                          Application (see 35 U.S.C.
                                                          361(d) and PCT Rule 16).
1.445(a)(3)(i) and (ii).....................       1604  PCT International Stage               2,080          N/A        2,080        1,040          520
                                                          Supplemental Search Fee When
                                                          Required, per Additional
                                                          Invention.
1.445(a)(4)(i) and (ii).....................       1621  Transmitting Application to             240          N/A          240          120           60
                                                          International Bureau to Act
                                                          as Receiving Office.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Correction of Inventorship: Section 1.48 is amended to add a new 
paragraph that will require the fee set in Sec.  1.17(d) when inventors 
are deleted, except for when the request to correct or change 
inventorship is accompanied by a statement that the request to correct 
or change the inventorship is due solely to the cancelation of claims 
in the application.
    Section 1.48 is amended by adding the following language at 
paragraph (c): Any request to correct or change the inventorship under 
paragraph (a) of this section filed after the Office action on the 
merits has been given or mailed in the application must also be 
accompanied by the fee set forth in Sec.  1.17(d), unless the request 
is accompanied by a statement that the request to correct or change the 
inventorship is due solely to the cancelation of claims in the 
application.
    Section 1.482: Sections 1.482(a)(1) and (a)(2) are amended to set 
forth the international application preliminary examination fees as 
authorized under section 10 of the Act. This section now distinguishes 
between issue and publication fees paid before or after January 1, 
2014. The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  1.482 are shown 
in Table 49.

                                                                        Table 49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)   Final Fees  (dollars) Effective Jan.
                                                                                        --------------------------                 1 2014
                CFR Section                    Fee code            Description                                    --------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.482(a)(1)(i) (A) and (B).................         1605  PCT International Stage                600          N/A          600          300          150
                                                           Preliminary Examination.
                                                          Fee--U.S. was the ISA........
1.482(a)(1)(ii) (A) and (B)................         1606  PCT International Stage                750          N/A          760          380          190
                                                           Preliminary Examination.
                                                          Fee--U.S. was not the ISA....
1.482(a)(2) (i) and (ii)...................         1607  PCT International Stage                600          N/A          600          300          150
                                                           Supplemental Examination Fee
                                                           per Additional Invention.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 1.492: The fee amounts in Sec.  1.492(a), (b)(1) through 
(b)(4), (c)(1), (c)(2), (d) through (f), (h), (i) and (j) are amended 
to set forth the basic national, excess claims, search, examination, 
and application size fees for international patent applications 
entering the national stage as authorized under section 10 of the Act. 
The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  1.492 are shown in 
Table 50.

                                                                        Table 50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)          Final fees  (dollars)
                CFR Section                    Fee code            Description          ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.492(a)...................................    1631/2631  Basic PCT National Stage Fee.          390          195          280          140           70
1.492(b)(1)................................    1640/2640  PCT National Stage Search                0            0            0            0            0
                                                           Fee--U.S. was the ISA or
                                                           IPEA and All Claims Satisfy
                                                           PCT Article 33(1)-(4).
1.492(b)(2)................................    1641/2641  PCT National Stage Search              120           60          120           60           30
                                                           Fee--U.S. was the ISA.

[[Page 4274]]

 
1.492(b)(3)................................    1642/2642  PCT National Stage Search              500          250          480          240          120
                                                           Fee--Search Report Prepared
                                                           and Provided to USPTO.
1.492(b)(4)................................    1632/2632  PCT National Stage Search              630          315          600          300          150
                                                           Fee--All Other Situations.
1.492(c)(1)................................    1643/2643  PCT National Stage                       0            0            0            0            0
                                                           Examination Fee--U.S. was
                                                           the ISA or IPEA and All
                                                           Claims Satisfy PCT Article
                                                           33(1)-(4).
1.492(c)(2)................................    1633/2633  National Stage Examination             250          125          720          360          180
                                                           Fee--All Other Situations.
1.492(d)...................................    1614/2614  PCT National Stage Claims--            250          125          420          210          105
                                                           Extra Independent (over
                                                           three).
1.492(e)...................................    1615/2615  PCT National Stage Claims--             62           31           80           40           20
                                                           Extra Total (over 20).
1.492(f)...................................    1616/2616  PCT National Stage Claims--            460          230          780          390          195
                                                           Multiple Dependent.
1.492(h)...................................    1617/2617  Search Fee, Examination Fee            130           65          140           70           35
                                                           or Oath or Declaration After
                                                           Thirty Months From Priority
                                                           Date.
1.492(i)...................................    1618/2618  English Translation After              130          N/A          140           70           35
                                                           Thirty Months From Priority
                                                           Date.
1.492(j)...................................    1681/2681  PCT National Stage                     320          160          400          200          100
                                                           Application Size Fee--for
                                                           Each Additional 50 Sheets
                                                           that Exceeds 100 Sheets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 41.20: Sections 41.20(a) and (b) are amended to set forth 
the appeal fees as authorized under section 10 of the Act. The changes 
to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  41.20 are shown in Table 51.

                                                                        Table 51
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)          Final fees  (dollars)
                CFR Section                    Fee code            Description          ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41.20(a)...................................         1405  Petitions to the Chief                 400          N/A          400          N/A          N/A
                                                           Administrative Patent Judge
                                                           under 37 CFR 41.3.
41.20(b)(1)................................    1401/2401  Notice of Appeal.............          630          315          800          400          200
41.20(b)(2)(i).............................    1402/2402  Filing a Brief in Support of           630          315            0            0            0
                                                           an Appeal in an Application
                                                           or Ex Parte Reexamination
                                                           Proceeding.
41.20(b)(2)(ii)............................          NEW  Filing a Brief in Support of           N/A          N/A        2,000        1,000          500
                                                           an Appeal in an Inter Partes
                                                           Reexamination Proceeding.
41.20(b)(3)................................    1403/2403  Request for Oral Hearing.....        1,260          630        1,300          650          325
41.20(b)(4)................................          NEW  Forwarding an Appeal in an             N/A          N/A        2,000        1,000          500
                                                           Application or Ex Parte
                                                           Reexamination Proceeding to
                                                           the Board.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Appeal Fees: As discussed in Part V. Individual Fee Rationale, the 
Office is adjusting the fee structure for appeal fees to recognize that 
after some notices of appeal are filed, the matter is resolved, and 
there is no need to take the ultimate step of forwarding the appeal to 
the PTAB for a decision. The Office is setting a new fee to forward an 
appeal in an application or ex parte reexamination proceeding to the 
PTAB for review.
    Section 41.20(b) is amended by adding a new paragraph (4).
    Section 41.37: Section 41.37 is amended by revising paragraphs (a) 
and (b).
    Section 41.45: Section 41.45.
    Section 42.15: Sections 42.15(a) through (d) are amended to set 
forth the inter partes review and post-grant review or covered business 
method patent review of patent fees as authorized under section 10 of 
the Act. The changes to the fee amounts indicated in Sec.  42.15 are 
shown in Table 52.

[[Page 4275]]



                                                                        Table 52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Current fees  (dollars)          Final fees  (dollars)
               CFR section                 Fee code              Description            ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Large        Small        Large        Small        Micro
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
42.15(a)(1).............................       1406  Inter Partes Review Request Fee--        27,200          N/A        9,000          N/A          N/A
                                                      Up to 20 Claims.
42.15(a)(2).............................        NEW  Inter Partes Review Post-                   N/A          N/A       14,000          N/A          N/A
                                                      Institution Fee--Up to 15 Claims.
42.15(a)(3).............................       1407  In Addition to the Inter Partes             600          N/A          200          N/A          N/A
                                                      Review Request Fee, for
                                                      Requesting Review of Each Claim
                                                      in Excess of 20.
42.15(a)(4).............................        NEW  In addition to the Inter Partes             N/A          N/A          400          N/A          N/A
                                                      Post-Institution Fee, for
                                                      Requesting Review of Each Claim
                                                      in Excess of 15.
42.15(b)(1).............................       1408  Post-Grant or Covered Business           35,800          N/A       12,000          N/A          N/A
                                                      Method Patent Review Request Fee--
                                                      Up to 20 Claims.
42.15(b)(2).............................        NEW  Post-Grant or Covered Business              N/A          N/A       18,000          N/A          N/A
                                                      Method Patent Review Post-
                                                      Institution Fee--Up to 15 Claims.
42.15(b)(3).............................       1409  In Addition to the Post-Grant or            800          N/A          250          N/A          N/A
                                                      Covered Business Method Patent
                                                      Review Request Fee, for
                                                      Requesting Review of Each Claim
                                                      in Excess of 20.
42.15(b)(4).............................        NEW  In Addition to the Post-Grant or            N/A          N/A          550          N/A          N/A
                                                      Covered Business Method Patent
                                                      Review Post-Institution Fee, for
                                                      Requesting Review of Each Claim
                                                      in Excess of 15.
42.15(c)(1).............................       XXXX  Derivation Petition...............          400          N/A          400          N/A          N/A
42.15(d)................................       1411  Request to Make a Settlement                400          N/A          400          N/A          N/A
                                                      Agreement Available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 42.15: Section 42.15 is added.

VIII. Rulemaking Considerations

A. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The USPTO publishes this Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 
(FRFA) as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 
601, et seq.) to examine the impact of the Office's rule to implement 
the fee setting provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Pub. 
L. 112-29, 125 Stat. 284) (the Act) on small entities.
    Under the RFA, whenever an agency is required by 5 U.S.C. 553 (or 
any other law) to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the 
agency must prepare a FRFA, unless the agency certifies under 5 U.S.C. 
605(b) that the rule, if implemented, will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. See 5 U.S.C. 
604, 605. The Office published an Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (IRFA), along with the NPRM, on September 6, 2012 (77 FR 
55028). The Office received no comments from the public directly 
applicable to the IRFA, as stated below in Item 2.
1. A Statement of the Need for, and Objectives of, the Rule
    The objective of the rule is to implement the fee setting 
provisions of section 10 of the Act by setting or adjusting patent fees 
to recover the aggregate cost of patent operations, including 
administrative costs, while facilitating effective administration of 
the U.S. patent system. The Act strengthened the patent system by 
affording the USPTO the ``resources it requires to clear the still 
sizeable backlog of patent applications and move forward to deliver to 
all American inventors the first rate service they deserve.'' H.R. Rep. 
No. 112-98(I), at 163 (2011). In setting fees under the Act, the Office 
seeks to secure a sufficient amount of aggregate revenue to recover the 
aggregate cost of patent operations, including for achieving strategic 
and operational goals, such as reducing the current patent application 
backlog, decreasing patent application pendency, improving patent 
quality, upgrading patent business IT capability and infrastructure, 
and implementing a sustainable funding model. As part of these efforts, 
the Office will use a portion of the patent fees to fund a patent 
operating reserve, a step toward achieving the Office's financial 
sustainability goals. In addition, the Office includes multipart and 
staged fees for requests for continued examination and appeals, both of 
which aim to foster innovation and increase prosecution options. 
Additional information on the Office's strategic goals may be found in 
the Strategic Plan, available at https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/USPTO_2010-2015_Strategic_Plan.pdf. Additional information on the 
Office's goals and operating requirements may be found in the annual 
budgets, available at https://www.uspto.gov/about/stratplan/budget/fy13pbr.pdf. The legal basis for the rule is section 10 of the Act.
2. A Statement of the Significant Issues Raised by the Public Comments 
in Response to the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, a Statement 
of the Assessment of the Agency of Such Issues, and a Statement of Any 
Changes Made in the Proposed Rule as a Result of Such Comments
    The Office did not receive any public comments in response to the 
IRFA. The Office received comments about fees in general as well as 
particular fees, including comments about the applicability of certain 
fees to small entities. Overall, the comments expressed support for the 
discounts to

[[Page 4276]]

small entities. However, some comments questioned why the discounts 
could not be larger or applicable to additional fees, and other 
comments requested that the requirements to qualify as a small or micro 
entity be relaxed. The Office responded to these comments with 
additional explanations of the statutory requirements that do not 
permit the Office to make such changes. Details of those comments are 
discussed and analyzed above in Part VI. Discussion of Comments.
3. The Response of the Agency to Any Comments Filed by the Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in Response 
to the Proposed Rule, and a Detailed Statement of Any Change Made to 
the Proposed Rule in the Final Rule as a Result of the Comments
    The Office did not receive any comments filed by the Chief Counsel 
for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in response to the 
proposed rule.
4. A Description of and an Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to 
Which the Rule Will Apply or an Explanation of Why No Such Estimate Is 
Available
SBA Size Standard
    The Small Business Act (SBA) size standards applicable to most 
analyses conducted to comply with the RFA are set forth in 13 CFR 
121.201. These regulations generally define small businesses as those 
with less than a specified maximum number of employees or less than a 
specified level of annual receipts for the entity's industrial sector 
or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. As 
provided by the RFA, and after consulting with the SBA, the Office 
formally adopted an alternate size standard for the purpose of 
conducting an analysis or making a certification under the RFA for 
patent-related regulations. See Business Size Standard for Purposes of 
United States Patent and Trademark Office Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis for Patent-Related Regulations, 71 FR 67109 (Nov. 20, 2006), 
1313 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 60 (Dec. 12, 2006). The Office's alternate 
small business size standard consists of the SBA's previously 
established size standard for entities entitled to pay reduced patent 
fees. See 13 CFR. 121.802.
    Unlike the SBA's generally applicable small business size 
standards, the size standard for the USPTO is not industry-specific. 
The Office's definition of a small business concern for RFA purposes is 
a business or other concern that: (1) Meets the SBA's definition of a 
``business concern or concern'' set forth in 13 CFR 121.105; and (2) 
meets the size standards set forth in 13 CFR 121.802 for the purpose of 
paying reduced patent fees, namely, an entity: (a) Whose number of 
employees, including affiliates, does not exceed 500 persons; and (b) 
which has not assigned, granted, conveyed, or licensed (and is under no 
obligation to do so) any rights in the invention to any person who made 
it and could not be classified as an independent inventor, or to any 
concern that would not qualify as a nonprofit organization or a small 
business concern under this definition. See Business Size Standard for 
Purposes of United States Patent and Trademark Office Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis for Patent-Related Regulations, 71 FR 67109 (Nov. 
20, 2006), 1313 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office at 63 (Dec. 12, 2006).
    If a patent applicant self-identifies on a patent application as 
qualifying as a small entity for reduced patent fees under the Office's 
alternative size standard, the Office captures this data in the Patent 
Application Location and Monitoring (PALM) database system, which 
tracks information on each patent application submitted to the Office.
Small Entities Affected by This Rule
Small Entity Defined
    The Act provides that fees set or adjusted under section 10(a) 
``for filing, searching, examining, issuing, appealing, and maintaining 
patent applications and patents shall be reduced by 50 percent'' with 
respect to the application of such fees to any ``small entity'' (as 
defined in 37 CFR 1.27) that qualifies for reduced fees under 35 U.S.C. 
41(h)(1). 125 Stat. at 316-17. 35 U.S.C. 41(h)(1), in turn, provides 
that certain patent fees ``shall be reduced by 50 percent'' for a small 
business concern as defined by section 3 of the SBA, and to any 
independent inventor or nonprofit organization as defined in 
regulations described by the Director.
Micro Entity Defined
    Section 10(g) of the Act creates a new category of entity called a 
``micro entity.'' 35 U.S.C. 123; see also 125 Stat. at 318-19. Section 
10(b) of the Act provides that the fees set or adjusted under section 
10(a) ``for filing, searching, examining, issuing, appealing, and 
maintaining patent applications and patents shall be reduced * * * by 
75 percent with respect to the application of such fees to any micro 
entity as defined by [new 35 U.S.C.] 123.'' 125 Stat. at 315-17.
    35 U.S.C. 123(a) defines a ``micro entity'' as an applicant who 
certifies that the applicant: (1) Qualifies as a small entity as 
defined in 37 CFR 1.27; (2) has not been named as an inventor on more 
than four previously filed patent applications, other than applications 
filed in another country, provisional applications under 35 U.S.C. 
111(b), or Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications for which the 
basic national fee under 35 U.S.C. 41(a) was not paid; (3) did not, in 
the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the applicable 
fee is being paid, have a gross income, as defined in section 61(a) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 61(a)), exceeding three 
times the median household income for that preceding calendar year, as 
most recently reported by the Bureau of the Census; and (4) has not 
assigned, granted, conveyed, and is not under an obligation by contract 
or law, to assign, grant, or convey, a license or other ownership 
interest in the application concerned to an entity exceeding the income 
limit set forth in (3) above. See 125 Stat. at 318.
    35 U.S.C. 123(d) also defines a ``micro entity'' as an applicant 
who certifies that: (1) The applicant's employer, from which the 
applicant obtains the majority of the applicant's income, is an 
institution of higher education as defined in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)); or (2) the applicant 
has assigned, granted, conveyed, or is under an obligation by contract 
or law, to assign, grant, or convey, a license or other ownership 
interest in the particular applications to such an institution of 
higher education.
Estimate of Number of Small Entities Affected
    The changes in the rule apply to any entity, including a small or 
micro entity, that pays any patent fee set forth in the final rule. The 
reduced fee rates (50 percent for small entities and 75 percent for 
micro entities) apply to any small entity asserting small entity status 
and to any micro entity certifying micro entity status for filing, 
searching, examining, issuing, appealing, and maintaining patent 
applications and patents.
    The Office reviews historical data to estimate the percentages of 
application filings asserting small entity status. Table 53 presents a 
summary of such small entity filings by type of application (utility, 
reissue, plant, design) over the last five years.

[[Page 4277]]



                       Table 53--Number of Patent Applications Filed in Last Five Years *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     FY 2012 **    FY 2011      FY 2010      FY 2009      FY 2008      Average
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utility:
    All...........................      530,915      504,089      479,332      458,901      466,258      488,014
    Small.........................      132,198      126,878      122,329      113,244      116,891      122,367
    % Small.......................         24.9         25.2         25.5         24.7         25.1         25.1
Reissue:
    All...........................        1,212        1,139        1,138        1,035        1,080        1,125
    Small.........................          278          265          235          237          258          255
    % Small.......................         22.9         23.3         20.7         22.9         23.9         22.0
Plant:
    All...........................        1,181        1,106        1,013          988        1,331        1,123
    Small.........................          576          574          472          429          480          506
    % Small.......................         48.8         51.9         46.6         43.4         36.1         45.1
Design:
    All...........................       32,258       30,270       28,577       25,575       28,217       28,975
    Small.........................       15,806       14,699       15,133       14,591       14,373       14,921
    % Small.......................           49         48.6         53.0         57.1         50.9        48.66
    Total:
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        All.......................      565,566      536,604      510,060      486,499      496,886      519,236
        Small.....................      148,858      142,416      138,169      128,501      132,002      138,049
        % Small...................         26.3         26.5         27.1         26.4         26.6         26.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The patent application filing data in this table includes RCEs.
** FY 2012 application data are preliminary and will be finalized in the FY 2013 Performance and Accountability
  Report (PAR).

    Because the percentage of small entity filings varies widely 
between application types, the Office has averaged the small entity 
filing rates over the past five years for those application types to 
estimate future filing rates by small and micro entities. Those average 
rates appear in the last column of Table 53, above. As discussed 
previously in this Final Rule, the Office estimates that the number of 
patent applications filed will increase annually (despite fee 
increases), and the Office estimates that small entity filing rates 
also will continue to grow for the next five years.
    The Office forecasts the number of projected patent applications 
(i.e., workload) for the next five years using a combination of 
historical data, economic analysis, and subject matter expertise. The 
Office estimates that UPR patent application filings would grow by 5.0 
percent each year beginning in FY 2013 and continuing through FY 2017. 
The Office forecasts design patent applications independently of UPR 
applications because they exhibit different behavior. The Office 
previously estimated that design patent application filings would grow 
by 2.0 percent each year beginning in FY 2013 and continuing through FY 
2017. These filing estimates, however, were established prior to an 
analysis of elasticity based on fee adjustments. The FY 2013 
President's Budget (page 36, ``USPTO Fee Collection Estimates/Ranges'') 
further describes the Office's workload forecasting methodology, which 
involves reviewing economic factors and other relevant indicators about 
the intellectual property environment. Exhibit 12 of the Budget 
presents additional performance goals and measurement data, including 
the forecasted patent application filing growth rate as described 
above.
    Using the estimated filings for the next five years, the average 
historic rates of small entity filings, and the Office's elasticity 
estimates, Table 54 presents the Office's estimates of the number of 
patent application filings by all applicants, including small entities, 
over the next five fiscal years by application type. As stated in Part 
V. Individual Fee Rationale of this final rule, and taking into account 
elasticity, the Office estimated that applicants would file 1.3 percent 
fewer new (serialized) patent applications during FY 2013 than the 
number estimated to be filed in the absence of a fee increase (with new 
fee schedule implementation for half the fiscal year). The Office 
further estimated that 2.7 percent fewer new patent applications would 
be filed during FY 2014, and 4.0 percent fewer new patent applications 
would be filed in FY 2015, in response to the fee adjustment. Beginning 
in FY 2016, the Office estimated that the growth in new patent 
applications filed would return to the same levels anticipated in the 
absence of a fee increase. The Office's estimate of the number of 
patent application filings by small entities represents an upper bound. 
Some entities may file more than one application in a given year.
    The Office has undertaken an elasticity analysis to examine how fee 
adjustments may impact small entities, and in particular, whether 
increases in fees would result in some such entities not submitting 
applications. Elasticity measures how sensitive patent applicants and 
patentees are to fee amounts or changes. If elasticity is low enough 
(demand is inelastic), then fee increases will not reduce patenting 
activity enough to negatively impact overall revenues. If elasticity is 
high enough (demand is elastic), then increasing fees will decrease 
patenting activity enough to decrease revenue. The Office analyzes 
elasticity at the overall filing level across all patent applicants 
regardless of entity size. Additional information about elasticity 
estimates is available at https://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/fees.jsp#heading-1 in the document entitled ``USPTO Section 10 Fee 
Setting--Description of Elasticity Estimates.'' Table 54 reflects 
estimates for total numbers of applicants, including the portion of 
small entity applicants. These estimates include reductions in the 
application growth rate (as described in the previous paragraph) based 
on the estimated elasticity effect included in Table 2 of the 
aforementioned Description of Elasticity Estimates document. This 
estimated elasticity effect is multiplied by the estimated number of 
patent applications in the absence of a fee increase to obtain the 
estimates in Table 54. See the appendix on elasticity for additional 
detail on the Office's elasticity estimates and methodology.

[[Page 4278]]



                      Table 54--Estimated Numbers of Patent Applications in FY 2013-FY 2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      FY 2012
                                     (current)     FY 2013      FY 2014      FY 2015      FY 2016      FY 2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utility:
    All...........................      530,915      548,307      566,524      585,187      614,503      645,285
    Small.........................      132,198       94,668       98,430      102,776      107,926      113,333
Reissue:
    All...........................        1,212          685          679          673          693          714
    Small.........................          278          109          108          107          110          113
Plant:
    All...........................        1,181        1,034        1,025        1,015        1,025        1,035
    Small.........................          576          371          368          364          368          371
Design:
    All...........................       32,258       31,994       31,910       31,810       32,446       33,095
    Small.........................       15,806       11,038       11,009       10,974       11,194       11,418
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total:
        All.......................      565,566      582,020      600,138      618,685      648,667      680,129
        Small.....................      148,858      106,186      109,915      114,221      119,598      125,235
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. A Description of the Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping and Other 
Compliance Requirements of the Rule, Including an Estimate of the 
Classes of Small Entities Which Will Be Subject to the Requirement and 
Type of Professional Skills Necessary for Preparati