Annuity Management
Annuity Management · Guide

Every right has a birthday. We remember it for you.

From a single registration number to 20 years of automated tracking, automatic reductions, and bulk savings — here is the five-stage flow, the information you need, the cautions, and the schedule, written by our patent attorneys.

Workflow

From one registration number to automated payments.

All we need from you is the registration number. iphere handles every other step automatically, with our patent attorneys verifying each payment.

  1. 01About 1 minute (single right)

    Register the right — just the registration number

    Enter your Korean registration number (Patent 10-, Utility Model 20-, Design 30-) and iphere automatically fills in the title, current year, claim count, next deadline, estimated fee, and payment history. Bulk register dozens of rights with a single Excel sheet.

    • Registration number input (hyphens optional)
    • Excel bulk register — fill one column only
    • Reduction category selection (individual · SME · mid-sized · university IP office)
    • Right holder name containing '산학협력단' auto-identified as university IP office
    • Individual reduction auto-applied when right holder = inventor
    What you do

    Enter a registration number or upload an Excel file. Select your reduction category (individual, SME, mid-sized, or university IP office).

    What iphere handles

    Auto-fetch title, registration date, claim count, payment history, and deadlines from KIPO. Compute estimated fees factoring in claim/design count.

  2. 02Every payment cycle, automatic

    Automatic reminders — 4 stages

    Registered rights appear in the managed list at a glance, and iphere sends automatic email reminders at every point you might forget. We mark the deadline four times so you don't have to.

    • 3 months before deadline: first email — cycle overview
    • 2 weeks before deadline: second email + red dashboard banner
    • 1 week before deadline: third email — final reminder
    • D-Day: automatic payment guidance + receipt issuance notice
    • After deadline: daily alerts until the 6-month grace period ends (surcharge included)
    What you do

    Just watch your inbox. Dashboard banners also surface upcoming deadlines. No other action needed.

    What iphere handles

    D-90 · D-14 · D-7 · D-Day emails. After the deadline, daily alerts throughout the 6-month grace period.

  3. 03About 2 minutes

    Checkout — Concierge fee + KIPO annuity

    Click [Pay] on the managed list to process the current year's annuity. Bulk payment works with a single checkbox. The final amount shown already includes reductions, bulk KIPO discounts, and claim-diet savings.

    • Concierge fee: single ₩30,000 / 5+ ₩20,000 / 20+ ₩15,000 per right
    • KIPO annuity: auto-displayed at registration (post-reduction amount)
    • Multi-year bulk (3+ years): KIPO 10% additional discount, auto-applied
    • Claim-diet selection adds a one-time ₩50,000 amendment fee (multi-year savings)
    • Payment methods: card · simple pay · virtual account
    What you do

    Select items on the managed list → choose payment method → check out. No additional input needed if right holder info is already saved.

    What iphere handles

    Auto-compute reduction rate, KIPO bulk 10% discount, and claim-diet savings. Single checkout covers KIPO fee + Concierge fee + VAT.

  4. 041–3 business days after checkout

    Payment delivery + receipt issuance

    On checkout, iphere auto-generates the KIPO payment file (.bib) and submits the payment request to KIPO. On confirmation, a PDF receipt is auto-issued by email and logged to your managed list.

    • Auto-generate KIPO payment file (.bib)
    • Submit e-payment to KIPO (within statutory deadline)
    • Auto-issue PDF receipt + send by email
    • Auto-update payment history on the managed list
    • Tax invoice split issuance option (Concierge fee portion only)
    What you do

    Just confirm the receipt email. If you need a tax invoice, select the split issuance option on checkout.

    What iphere handles

    Auto-generate KEAPS .bib → submit to KIPO e-payment → confirm settlement → auto-issue PDF receipt + update payment history.

  5. 05Until the right expires (max 20 years for patents/designs)

    Long-term maintenance — until the right expires

    Register once and iphere automatically tracks every annuity year until the right's term ends. Changes to right holders, transfers, and claim amendments are all reflected automatically.

    • Auto-renew yearly deadline (registration date + N-1 year)
    • Auto-calculate maximum term (Patent / Design 20y · Utility Model 10y)
    • Reflect right holder changes, transfers, claim amendments
    • Expiration reminder 6 months before final date
    • Auto-archive on close (recoverable from trash)
    What you do

    Only decision points — change of right holder, claim diet, etc. No yearly repeat work.

    What iphere handles

    Auto-renew deadlines yearly, calculate maximum term, send expiration reminder 6 months ahead. Daily alerts during grace period protect your last chance.

Information needed

One registration number. KIPO fills in the rest.

Annuity management requires no additional documents. The registration number is enough — everything else fills in automatically. To receive a reduction, simply register your right-holder credentials once.

Required

KIPO registration number

Format
10-XXXXXXX (Patent) · 20-XXXXXXX (Utility) · 30-XXXXXXX (Design)
Note
Hyphens optional. The registration number alone auto-fetches title, current year, claim count, next deadline, estimated fee, and payment history.
Auto

Right holder information

Format
Auto-fetched from KIPO (KO/EN)
Note
Right holder name, address, and nationality are filled in automatically. Right holders containing '산학협력단' (university IP office) are auto-identified for the dedicated-org reduction.
Optional

Reduction credentials (individual · SME · etc.)

Format
PDF · image (SME certificate, etc.)
Note
Individual reduction applies automatically when the right holder = inventor — no credentials needed. SME / mid-sized certificates are registered once and remain valid until expiration.
Optional

Excel bulk registration sheet

Format
XLSX (one column of registration numbers)
Note
For managing 5+ rights at once. Download the iphere template, fill in the registration numbers, and upload.
Required

Payment method

Format
Card · simple pay · virtual account
Note
Payment is only collected when a deadline approaches. Registration itself is free; reminders and reduction calculations run in the background regardless.
Auto

PDF receipt

Format
PDF — auto-issued by iphere
Note
Auto-issued upon payment confirmation, sent by email, and logged to the managed list. Tax invoices are available via the split issuance option on checkout.
Cautions

Once missed, recovery is very limited.

Here are the four points our patent attorneys emphasise most about annuity management. iphere's 4-stage reminders shield you from them — still, knowing these helps.

Critical

The 6-month grace period is your last chance.

Even after the deadline, paying with a surcharge (+3% per month, up to +18%) within the 6-month grace period keeps the right alive. After 6 months, the right is extinguished — only very limited recovery procedures apply, and only with justified cause. iphere sends daily alerts throughout this grace period to safeguard the final window.

Critical

Reduction certificates have expiration dates.

SME and mid-sized certificates are typically valid until the next 31 March after issuance. Once expired, reductions do not apply automatically and the next cycle is billed at full price. iphere alerts you as the expiration approaches, but renewing the certificate is the right holder's responsibility.

Warning

A claim diet cannot be undone.

Abandoning unused claims reduces annuity fees from the next cycle — but each abandoned claim is permanently removed from your right's scope. A one-time ₩50,000 amendment fee yields multi-year savings, yet claims that might narrow scope should be reviewed carefully. We recommend an attorney consultation before deciding which claims to abandon.

FYI

Multi-year bulk payments earn an extra 10% from KIPO.

Paying 3 or more years up front earns an additional 10% KIPO discount on the total. Recommended for predictable core rights (e.g. flagship patents). Note: prepaid annuities are non-refundable even if the right is later abandoned — apply only when continued maintenance is certain.

Key dates

Lifetime calendar — annual from year 4.

Annuities start in year 4, counted from registration. Years 1–3 are included in the registration fee. iphere sends step-by-step automatic reminders.

  1. Registration day

    Registration — years 1–3 paid (automatic)

    Years 1–3 of annuity fees are bundled into the registration fee at the time of setup registration. No separate annuity. Register your number with iphere at this point to start automatic tracking from year 4.

  2. + 3 years

    Year 4 — first annuity (most-forgotten cycle)

    Year 4 falls three years after registration — the longest gap since setup, and the cycle most often forgotten. A single miss can extinguish the right permanently. iphere's D-90 · D-14 · D-7 · D-Day automatic reminders prevent this.

  3. Deadline + 1 ~ 6 months

    Grace period — +3% surcharge per month

    After the deadline, you have 6 months to pay with a surcharge (+3% per month, max +18%) and keep the right. iphere sends daily alerts throughout this period. After 6 months, the right is extinguished.

  4. + 9 years / + 12 years

    Years 7 · 10 — price-tier transitions

    The base fee rises ~2.5× at year 7 and another ~2.4× at year 10. Combined with claim count, this is when the bill grows fast — the right moment to consider a claim diet. iphere sends a diet review prompt at entry to year 7 and year 10.

  5. + 19 years (Patent / Design) / + 9 years (Utility)

    Term expiration — automatic closure

    Patents and designs run up to 20 years from registration; utility models up to 10. iphere sends an expiration reminder 6 months ahead, and the case is auto-closed in the managed list at the expiration date.