With the opening of the “Patent Business Handling System” by the National Intellectual Property Administration, starting from January 11, 2023, innovators must independently complete the patent fee reduction filing through the “Patent Business Handling System” and cannot be handled by appointed patent agencies.
Below is a detailed explanation of the patent fee reduction filing process conducted by our firm, hoping to assist everyone in handling fee reduction filings independently in the future.
I. Preparations
- Clarify the Target of Fee Reduction
Patent applicants or patentees meeting one of the following conditions may request a reduction in fees from the National Intellectual Property Administration:
- Individuals with an average monthly income of less than 5,000 yuan (or 60,000 yuan annually) in the previous year.
- Enterprises with a taxable income of less than 1 million yuan in the previous year.
- Institutions, social groups, or non-profit scientific research institutions.
- Specify Fee Reduction Items
- Application fees (excluding publication printing fees and additional application fees).
- Substantive examination fees for invention patent applications.
- Annual fees (for ten years starting from the year of patent grant).
- Reexamination fees.
※ If there is one applicant, an 85% reduction is applicable; if there are two or more applicants, a 70% reduction is applicable.
- Prepare Patent Fee Reduction Materials
For Enterprises:
- Copy of the business license (with seal).
- Annual corporate income tax return (referring to Class A form in the annual financial report of the previous year) and its cover (with seal). ※ Note: The seal refers to the company seal (no need to seal by the tax bureau). During the final settlement period, submit the annual corporate income tax return for the year before last. ※ Newly established enterprises should provide an explanation of the enterprise situation (with company seal).
For Individuals:
- Copy of both sides of the ID card (with signature).
- Proof of income for the previous year issued by the employer for those with fixed jobs; proof of economic difficulties issued by the administrative department for those without fixed jobs.
II. Specific Operations
Step 1: Visit the website https://cponline.cnipa.gov.cn/ and log in.
If you don’t have an account, please click on “Register Now.”
Step two: After logging in, enter the system and select “Patent Affairs Services” — “Fee Reduction Filing.”
Step three: Select “Fee Reduction Filing Request” — “Business Handling.”
Step four: Fill in the relevant information (using individuals as an example): After completing all required fields marked with *, click “Next.”
Step five: Click “Upload Patent Fee Reduction Certificate Document” to upload relevant proof documents, then click “Submit” and wait for verification.
（This article is reproduced from “Han Zhi Guang Hua.” Original article link:http://www.iprtop.com/news/info_363.html）