In a final rule issued November 14, 20171, the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has revised its fee
schedule, effective January 16, 2018. The agency justified its
fee increases as needed to "support the USPTO's progress
toward its strategic goals like pendency and backlog reduction,
patent quality enhancements, technology modernization, staffing
optimization, and financial sustainability."2
Most fees levied by the USPTO will increase by around 10
percent. There are, however, some notable exceptions. Fees
associated with the USPTO's popular post-grant and inter
partes review proceedings will increase dramatically. For
instance, the petition fee for a typical inter partes
review will increase from $9,000 to $15,500 (+$6,500), and the
post-institution fee will rise from $14,000 to $15,000 (+$1,000),
for a total increase of $7,500. Citing a lack of maintenance fee
revenue, the USPTO will significantly increase the large-entity
fees associated with
