How does a change in ownership affect entity status for maintenance fees?

A change in ownership can affect the entity status for maintenance fees if the new owner has a different status. The MPEP 2550 provides guidance:

“The status of the entity must be determined each time a maintenance fee is due and the proper fee must be submitted. The payment of the small entity fee is not inappropriate if the status of the entity changes from small to large between fee payments.”

This means that if ownership changes, the new owner must assess their entity status at the time of the next maintenance fee payment and pay the appropriate fee based on their current status.

To learn more:

• ownership change
• entity status
• maintenance fees