Maintenance fee (patent, renewal fee, annuity)
The periodic payment required to keep a granted patent in force, usually rising over the life of the patent.
A patent maintenance fee — also called a renewal fee or annuity — is the periodic payment required to keep a granted patent in force. Most patent offices, including the European Patent Office and national offices in Germany, the United States, and Japan, charge maintenance fees on a yearly or multi-year cycle, with amounts that usually increase over the life of the patent. Missed payments lead to lapse of the patent, although short grace periods with surcharges typically apply.
Fees differ significantly per country and per year of the patent. Our partner Patent Renewal maintains a regularly updated overview at https://www.patentrenewal.com/renewal-fees.
Strategic renewal decisions involve balancing the cost of the fee against the commercial value of the protection in each country, which is why many IP teams review renewals family by family.