Guidance and notes on directions for online forms
Published 5 May 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directions-for-online-forms/guidance-and-notes-on-directions-for-online-forms
(a) These notes are not part of the directions. They are intended to provide background and additional information.
(b) The Interpretation Act 1978 applies to these directions. Therefore, all the definitions set out in the Registered Designs Act 1949, the Patents Act 1977, and the Trade Marks Act 1994 apply to these directions. Further, amongst other things, generally any words indicating the masculine gender include the feminine and words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular.
(c) Forms are provided by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) for use in relation to registered designs, patents and trade marks. These directions allow for the delivery of such forms online through GOV.UK, instead of by post.
(d) Customers are encouraged wherever possible to use the IPO’s full online services. The online services presently available are Manage intellectual property, Apply for a patent, Register a trade mark and Register a design.
(e) For customers who prefer to use the paper-based process, printable versions of the forms are available at designs forms, patents forms, and trade marks forms. Where online submission is indicated alongside the printable form, customers may complete and submit the form online through GOV.UK instead of sending it by post.
(f) Online completion and submission will initially be available only for certain forms relating to trade marks oppositions (TM9C, TM9E and TM9T). The online option may be extended to more forms in the future.
(g) Individual online forms do not deliver the efficiencies associated with the IPO’s full online services; consequently, the online forms do not qualify for any fee reductions available for electronic filing.
(h) The online form will ask whether the user wishes to receive an acknowledgement email. Users are strongly advised to answer “yes”, as receipt of the acknowledgement email confirms successful delivery of the form.
(i) The date and time of delivery of the form are those recorded by GOV.UK, subject to the user receiving an acknowledgement email.
(j) Any supporting document attached to a form must comply with the file size limit specified on GOV.UK at the time of submission. The limit is presently 7MB.
(k) Any queries about these directions should be addressed to Legal Section via any of the following means.
Email: information@ipo.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 300 2000
Or by post to:
Legal Section
Intellectual Property Office
Concept House
Cardiff Road
Newport
South Wales