USPTO has proposed a significant overhaul to the current patent maintenance fee structure, which currently uses fixed flat fees paid at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after issuance. Under new rules, patent holders would pay an annual fee calculated as a percentage of the patent's estimated economic value. The rate would tier between 1% (for lower-value patents) and 5% (for high-value ones, such as those in semiconductors or AI). SIA is pushing back against it calling it " a tax on innovation".