Can I designate a separate fee address for maintenance fee communications?
Yes, you can designate a separate fee address specifically for maintenance fee communications. This is particularly useful if you want to direct maintenance fee notices to a different address than other patent correspondence.
The MPEP states: “Practitioners of record when the patent issues who do not wish to receive correspondence relating to maintenance fees must change the correspondence address in the patented file or provide a fee address to which such correspondence should be sent.” (MPEP 2542)
To designate a fee address:
- Use the USPTO form PTO/SB/47 “Fee Address” Indication Form.
- Submit the completed form to the USPTO, specifying the address for maintenance fee communications.
- Ensure the form includes the patent number and application number for accurate processing.
By designating a fee address, you can separate maintenance fee correspondence from other patent-related communications, which can be helpful for managing patent portfolios or when working with third-party maintenance fee services.
To learn more: