The USPTO is reducing the official fee for filing a “Streamlined” Reexamination Request to lessen financial burdens for requester(s). This became effective beginning on January 16, 2018.

If a Request for Ex Parte Reexamination complies with the streamlined filing criteria, i.e. forty (40) or fewer pages and certain format requirements, the USPTO fee is $6,000 (large entity), $3,000 (small entity), or $1,500 (micro entity). Please note that micro entity status is only available to the patent owner of a reexamination. Micro entity status is not available to a third party requester. Except the reduced filing fee, filing of a streamlined reexamination still needs to satisfy all the filing requirements of an Ex Parte Reexamination. In addition, no change for the subsequent reexamination process and no acceleration process will occur after filing a streamlined reexamination.

A copy of the Federal Register Notice with the details of this change can be found here.