What are excess claims fees in patent applications?
Excess claims fees are charges that applicants must pay for claims that exceed certain thresholds in a patent application. According to MPEP 714.10:
Applicant is required to pay excess claims fees for each claim that is in excess of 3 in independent form or in excess of 20 (whether dependent or independent).
These fees are designed to discourage excessive claiming and to cover the additional examination costs associated with reviewing a large number of claims.
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