The U.S. Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to reduce fees for many new trademark applications and most renewals of registration.

Under the NPRM, the fee for a new application filed using the regular Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) application form will be reduced $50, from the current fee of $325 to $275 per class, if the applicant authorizes e-mail communication with the USPTO and agrees to file documents electronically during the prosecution of the application.

The fee for a new application filed via the existing TEAS Plus option will be reduced $50, from the current fee of $275 to $225 per class.

The fee for an application for renewal of a registration submitted via TEAS will be reduced $100, from $400 per class to $300 per class while the filing fees for trademark applications and renewals filed on paper will remain unchanged.

Further information about the proposed rules and instructions for submitting comments may be found in the Federal Register Notice.

USPTO also proposes a new Trademark Electronic Application System Reduced Fee (TEAS RF) filing option in addition to reducing filing fees for both applications filed using the current TEAS Plus option and applications for renewal of a registration filed through TEAS.

“The proposed fee reductions advance the USPTO’s core mission of serving the public in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible,” said Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Michelle K. Lee. “Lower fees will lessen the burden for entrepreneurs to obtain the crucial trademark protection they need to grow their businesses, while increased electronic processing improves agency efficiency.”