How much does a patent cost in Australia?
An Australian standard patent costs $8,000-$25,000 from first filing through to grant, including IP Australia fees (around $2,500-$4,500 across the process) and patent attorney fees ($6,000-$20,000). A provisional application (12-month placeholder): $3,000-$7,000. International PCT: add $15,000-$60,000+ for multi-country protection under the Patents Act 1990 (Cth).
Provisional application
A provisional patent application under section 29 of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth) establishes a priority date without full patent specification. Attorney fees: $3,000-$7,000. IP Australia filing fee: around $110. Provisional lasts 12 months — must be converted to a standard or PCT application or lapses.
Standard patent through to grant
Attorney drafting of complete specification: $6,000-$15,000. IP Australia filing fee: $370. Examination request: $490. Examination response (often required): $1,500-$6,000 in attorney fees. Acceptance: $250. Total through to acceptance: $8,000-$25,000. Renewal fees are payable from year 5 and escalate annually to year 20.
International patent strategy
PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) filing: $4,500-$8,000 including attorney and WIPO fees. National phase entry at 30 months per country: $5,000-$15,000 per country (US, EU, Japan, China, etc.). Multi-country protection typically $60,000-$250,000+ through grant. Patents are expensive — suitable where the commercial value clearly exceeds the cost.
How I support patent work
I help patent attorneys with prior art searching, examination response drafting, and freedom-to-operate opinions under section 117 of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth). Most patent work is still specialist attorney territory but I reduce research time on common objections.
Common issues
- Novelty is destroyed by public disclosure before filing — file provisional first if you will demo
- Innovation patents (8-year term) were abolished in 2021 — only standard patents are available now
- Renewal fees escalate — patents that do not justify the fee should lapse, not continue
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