Weak dollar leads to higher filing fees in Brazil

IP Tango has heard that, in order to counter the significant weakening of the value of the US dollar in recent years, Brazil's Industrial Property Office (INPI) announced that it would be raising its patent and trade mark fees by at least 50%, some time in the next couple of weeks. It is said, however, that INPI has taken the opportunity to raise some fees (filing fees, for example) by over 100%. Patent practitioners have been warned that the examination fee (which is determined in accordance with the number of claims pending when examination is requested, like Japan) will be approximately doubled. Foreign practitioners with upcoming Brazilian filings (or a due date for paying an exam fee in the next week or two) are thus advised to obtain definite instructions and to send these to their Brazilian associates as soon as they can in order to rely upon the present, lower fees before they go up. The actual date upon which the fee increase will take effect is not yet known [IP Tango thanks Birgit Clark for this information].