What happens if I don’t pay the issue fee for my patent application?
If you don’t pay the issue fee for your patent application, it will be considered abandoned. According to MPEP 203.05, one of the ways an application can become abandoned is:
“for failure to pay the issue fee”
The MPEP refers to sections 711 to 711.05 for more details on this topic. It’s crucial to pay the issue fee on time to prevent your application from being abandoned after all the effort put into the patent prosecution process.
To learn more:
Topics:
MPEP 200 - Types and Status of Application; Benefit and Priority,
Patent Law,
Patent Procedure