Cost structure:
Employee inventions (bound inventions):
BTU generally covers the full costs of patent attorneys, official fees and invention consultancy if it decides to make commercial use of an invention and thus exploit it.
Free inventions:
If BTU does not cover the costs and releases the invention to you, the following standard fees apply at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) (fees at other offices may vary):
- Application fee: 40 € (electronic) or 60 € (paper form)
- Search request: 300 €
- Examination request: 350 € (or 150 € if filed immediately after the search)
In addition to these official fees, it is advisable to engage a patent attorney to draft the patent specification. Experience shows that this costs approximately 3,000 to 10,000 €, depending on the complexity of the invention.