Patent costs
Patenting can be an expensive exercise. Below is a typical cost profile for filing a patent in South Africa:
PHASE 1 – Patent search
Conducting a patent search is critical. Don’t do this properly, and you will waste a lot of money. Conduct online patent searches using our Search Manual.
Ensure that all disclosures during this stage are regulated by suitable confidentiality agreements.
PHASE 2 – Provisional patent
Draft your own application for $199 using our Patent Toolkit and guide and file it through either GlobalIPCo for $199 or Iptica for $99.
The provisional patent application reserves your right to secure patent rights worldwide for 12 months. You have a period of one year within which to evaluate your invention publicly. Use the time wisely.
Although you may file a South African complete or international / PCT patent as your first patent, we suggest starting with a South African provisional patent application – see our reasons.
Register your own provisional patent with CIPC using GlobalIPCo’s online filing system. The GlobalIPCo system automatically creates the patent forms and the US$199 patent filing fee is paid by credit card. You will receive a Patent Pending Number within one business day. Prepare the description of your invention using our Patent Template.
PHASE 3 – Complete patent application
Complete patents must be signed and filed by a patent attorney.
Securing patent protection in South Africa is affordable.
However, referring to the graph below, securing foreign patents requires somewhat deeper pockets:
Foreign patents
If you are interested in securing patent protection in at least three countries outside South Africa, you should file a PCT (patent co-operation treaty) application. See our PCT Toolkit.
The real crunch comes 30 months after filing the provisional patent application. You can expect to pay between R25,000 and R65,000 per country to file your national phase patents. Thereafter, depending on the degree of engagement with the patent examiner, you can expect to pay between R25,000 and R70,000 over the following 2-3 years to prosecute each national phase patent to grant.
South African national phase patent
Foreigners, seriously consider filing a South African national phase patent. The country is a gateway into Africa. And, the filing process is the quickest, simplest and cheapest in the world – no examination and only US$585 “all-in”. Alternatively, instruct filing of your South African national phase online through GlobalIPCo for only $399 (download brochure).
Patent renewal
South African patent renewal fees are paid annually after the third year of filing. Save up to 70% on renewal costs using our online Patent Renewal Tool.