• Detailed guide: Before you apply for a patent

    To get the most benefit from a patent, you need a business plan for making money from it. If only a few people will buy your invention, the cost of getting and keeping a granted patent could be more than the money you will make. You also need to ensure... Continue reading

     
  • Guidance: Retention and disposal policy for patent and trade mark related records

    Background The Intellectual Property Office has a routine policy in line with the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended) for the disposal of all documents in paper and electronic format where they are not retained by the National Archives. In addition, the office has routinely disposed of paper patent documents... Continue reading

     
  • Notice: Patent Journal special notices: 6783

    Publication date 22 May 2019. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/patent-journal-special-notices-6783 Content Reproduced verbatim from the Website of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) as permitted under their Terms of Use.

     
  • Corporate report: Intellectual Property Office Corporate Plan 2019 to 2020

    Innovation will help the UK to seize the opportunities and confront the challenges of the modern age. The UK’s intellectual property regime is central to innovation. It gives inventors, creatives, and entrepreneurs, the confidence to invest in innovation and reap the benefits of their investments. The UK already has one... Continue reading

     
  • Guidance: Patents: filing proceeding at the IPO

    Published 20 December 2013 Last updated 24 April 2019 + show all updates 24 April 2019 Replaced ‘Patents: deciding disputes’ booklet due to re-branding. 20 December 2013 First published. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/patents-filing-proceeding-at-the-ipo Content Reproduced verbatim from the Website of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) as permitted under their Terms of Use.

     
  • Guidance: UK-China Intellectual Property Newsletter

    Published 29 October 2013 Last updated 4 April 2019 + show all updates 4 April 2019 New report March 2019 uploaded 11 March 2019 China IP Newsletter February 2019 updated 25 April 2018 updated 2 February 2018 Updated 18 December 2017 updated 18 September 2017 Updated. 18 September 2017 Updated. 28... Continue reading

     
  • Section 4A: Methods of treatment or diagnosis

    4A.01 This section relates to exceptions to patentability and novelty. It is so framed to have, as nearly as practicable, the same effect in the UK as the corresponding provisions of the EPC, PCT and CPC, ie Articles 53(c), 54(4) and 54(5) of the EPC. The Examination Guidelines for Patent... Continue reading

     
  • Section 3: Inventive step

    Introduction This section of the Manual is presented as three sub-sections: general approach & legal background examining for inventive step assessing obviousness The third sub- section provides some of the more prominent methods for answering the final question in the Windsurfing/Pozzoli approach – ie “is it obvious?” 3.01 s.130(7) is... Continue reading

     
  • Table of cases

    ICI Ltd’s Application SHB 5, BL O/73/82 4A.05       ICI Ltd (Richardson’s) Application [1981] FSR 609 4A.14, 14.126       ICI Plc v Ram Bathrooms Plc and Rohm GmbH [1994] FSR 181 75.05       ICI’s Patent 1285038 (“atenolol”) (Harris Pharmaceuticals ‘Application) BL O/59/86, BL O/82/86... Continue reading

     
  • Changes to the Manual of Patent Practice

    This section details the recent main changes to the manual. April 2019 changes Paragraph Update 4A.14.72.160.1660.19.2125.14 Updated in light of Warner-Lambert Company LLC v Generics (UK) Ltd (t.a. Mylan) & Anor. [2018] UKSC 56. 20.02.1 Updated to include Akron Brass Company’s application BL O/012/19 125.17.8 Updated in light of Technetix... Continue reading