It’s hard to believe that 2024 will be here next week, but the calendar doesn’t lie. This week, we thought we’d highlight a few of the IP-related events and topics that are on our radar screen for 2024.
Let’s see what’s coming!
Canadian Fee Increase in January
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Canada has a major fee increase coming on January 1. There’s been a lot already published about this (including by us), so we aren’t going into the details here, but if you have or will be getting IP rights in Canada, you will want to make sure you are up to date on the changes. The rules are also changing for small entities in Canada, so you might qualify for a discount now.
World IP Day Coming in April
World IP Day has become a thing and received a reasonable amount of attention in 2023 with its focus on women and equality within the world of IP (the percentage of women inventors globally is embarrassingly small compared to men). The theme for 2024 is IP and the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals): Building our common future with innovation and creativity. That should cause some people’s heads to explode.
INTA Back in the United States in May
One of our favorite conferences is INTA, so we look forward to its return to the US this year. The 2024 annual meeting will be in Atlanta from May 18 through the 22nd. The average temperature for Atlanta in May is 80f/27c. The average temperature for Detroit in May is 69f/20c. Guess where we are going to be.
Australian Fee Increase in October
It’s been several years since Australia increased its fees, and with increased inflation and labor costs, they feel that the time is right for another increase. We’ll cover the specifics in an upcoming fee update, but the biggest (proposed) impacts are to patents, with standard applications increasing from 370 AUD to 400 AUD and patent examination costs increasing from 490 AUD to 550 AUD.
US IP Fee Increase Coming in 2025
It’s not technically happening in 2024, but some big changes are proposed for US fees in 2025, so IP rights owners will need to understand what is going on long before they are implemented. Expect to hear a lot about the increases in 2024 (especially now that nobody is talking about the Unitary Patent any longer).
Wrap Up
With inflation still high throughout much of the world, expect a steady stream of small and large fee increases throughout 2024. We are already tracking nearly a dozen fee updates scheduled throughout the first and second quarter. Once confirmed, you will be the first to know. Until then, the team at Prokurio thanks you for your support and wishes you a Happy New Year!
Want more of this kind of stuff? Take A Look Here!
March 1 Cost Decrease Coming For Hong Kong Designs
Russia, EP, and OAPI Hague Design fee updates coming
