On May 9, 2014, the US Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to reduce fees for many new trademark applications and most renewals of registration. The USPTO also proposes a new Trademark Electronic Application System Reduced Fee (TEAS RF) filing option in addition to reducing filing fees for both applications filed using the current TEAS Plus option and applications for renewal of a registration filed through TEAS.

"The proposed fee reductions advance the USPTO’s core mission of serving the public in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible,” said Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Michelle Lee. “Lower fees will lessen the burden for entrepreneurs to obtain the crucial trademark protection they need to grow their businesses, while increased electronic processing improves agency efficiency.”

Prior to issuing the NPRM, the USPTO published a notice of inquiry to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on possible adjustments to trademark application fees. Public comments overwhelmingly favored a fee reduction with many expressing a desire for a lower-cost electronic filing option without any restrictions on the nature of the identification of goods and services, as is required under TEAS Plus. 

Under the NPRM, the fee for a new application filed using the regular Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) application form will be reduced US$50, from the current fee of US$325 to US$275 per class, if the applicant authorizes e-mail communication with the USPTO and agrees to file documents electronically during the prosecution of the application. The fee for a new application filed via the existing TEAS Plus option will be reduced US$50, from the current fee of US$275 to US$225 per class. The fee for an application for renewal of a registration submitted via TEAS will be reduced US$100, from US$400 per class to US$300 per class while the filing fees for trademark applications and renewals filed on paper will remain unchanged. Further information about the proposed rules and instructions for submitting comments may be found in the Federal Register Notice.