Used to be you had to pay a $40 fee to record an assignment at the USPTO. Adding a second property to the recordation cost $40 if you were recording a patent assignment but cost $25 if you were recording a trademark assignment.
I never understood why that second or third property cost one price for trademarks and a different price for patents.
Almost two years ago the USPTO cut the fee for recording a patent assignment to zero. This was welcome news. When that price cut happened, I recall wondering why this fee did not drop to zero for trademark assignments.
Today I got my chance. I am the vice-chair of AIPLA’s Patent Cooperation Treaty Issues committee, so I was present at a meeting of committee chairs, vice-chairs, and board members. Mary Boney Denison, the Commissioner for Trademarks, was a special guest. When she finished her prepared remarks, she asked if anybody had any questions. So I raised my hand and asked why it is that we have to pay money to record a trademark assignment when we don’t need to pay money to record a patent assignment. Continue reading “Why it costs money to record a trademark assignment at USPTO?”
