Annual maintenance fee for USPTO patent practitioners.

Via the Promote the Progess blog (with hat tip to Filewrapper.com):

The United States Patent and Trademark Office today published a Final Rule in the Federal Register that levies a ‘practitioner maintenance fee’ on attorneys and agents recognized to practice before it in patent cases. The new rule requires all registered patent practitioners to pay an annual fee to maintain their professional association with the agency.

You can view and/or download a .pdf of the rule here.

The rule will become effective on December 17, 2008. The Office will provide “adequate notice” to practitioners in advance of the due date. The fee for maintaining active status is, currently, $118. The fee for voluntary, inactive status (for “practitioners who have retired or are unable to continue their practice, but still desire to maintain a recognized professional association with the USPTO”) is, currently, $25.