CIPO does not receive government funding for its operations; it is funded entirely through the fees it charges applicants and registrants. On January 1, 2024, that funding model produced its first substantial increase in roughly two decades, layering a one-time correction on top of CIPO's usual annual inflation adjustment.
How Much Fees Went Up
The increase was not uniform. Standard patent filing, examination, and final fees rose by roughly 25 to 36 percent; a patent application filing fee moved from $421.02 to $555, the examination fee from $816 to $1,110, and the final fee from $306 to $416. Trademark and industrial design fees saw comparable increases, and the changes reached administrative proceedings, not just fresh filings, meaning matters already in process were affected by the new schedule as they moved through further steps.
Small Entities Were Treated Differently
The full increase did not apply to small entities under the Patent Rules, and CIPO used the occasion to expand who qualifies: the small entity threshold rose from fewer than 50 employees to fewer than 100, letting more Canadian businesses access the reduced fee schedule. For a growing company close to that headcount, confirming small entity status before filing, and monitoring it as the business grows, became a materially more consequential exercise after this change.
Why the Timing Mattered
Applicants and agents with discretion over filing dates, particularly for maintenance fees, divisional filings, or requests for examination that could be advanced or deferred, had a real incentive to act before the increase took effect, and many did. For ongoing portfolios, the more durable effect is on renewal budgeting: a portfolio's annual maintenance costs stepped up meaningfully at this point, and that step needs to be reflected in multi-year cost planning rather than assumed away.
We help clients build renewal and portfolio budgets around CIPO's current fee schedule, and confirm entity status before it becomes the difference between the standard and small entity rate.