The high cost of patents

The EPO has just released a study conducted in 2004 by consulting firm Roland Berger Market Research on the cost of patenting in Europe. According to the study, an average EPO patent costs €30,530 EUR, where the costs are higher for Japanese and American companies validating in Europe. As further comparison, the average for a European patent applicant is €24,100 EUR, while an American firm has to pay an average €10,250 EUR for a patent by the USPTO, and a Japanese firm pays €5,460 EUR for a JPO patent.

The report goes on to state that the cost of a patent in Europe is higher because of higher translation costs. It should also be said that in Europe you get better quality and service than what you get at the USPTO. Nevertheless, the costs do seem to be prohibitively expensive for small firms, not to mention "individual" developers and inventors. The time of Thomas A. Edison is past.