Directions for the use of the One IPO Digital Services
Published 1 April 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directions-for-the-use-of-the-one-ipo-digital-services/directions-for-the-use-of-the-one-ipo-digital-services
Introduction
1. The comptroller has made the following directions under section 124A of the Patents Act 1977 to direct the form and manner in which documents are to be delivered to the comptroller using the One IPO Digital Services.
2. These directions and any others made under s.124A set out the extent to which electronic documents may be delivered to the comptroller.
3. These directions come into force on 1 April 2026.
4. These directions apply to documents submitted using the Digital Services from an IPO Customer Account and to documents which are submitted by any Application Programming Interface (API) communicating directly with the underlying One IPO system operated by the Intellectual Property Office.
Definitions
5. In these directions:
“Act” means the Patents Act 1977 (as amended);
“Application Documents” means the Claim Document, the Description Document and Drawings Document (where applicable);
“Customer Account” means an IPO customer account, which is necessary to use the Digital Services;
“Claim Document” means the document containing the claim;
“Description Document” means the document containing the description;
“Digital Service(s)” means the ‘Manage intellectual property’ service and/or the ‘Apply for a patent’ service provided online through GOV.UK and, where the context requires, an Application Programming Interface which communicates with the underlying One IPO system operated by the Intellectual Property Office;
“Documents” means the Application Documents and any other document which a User submits using a Digital Service;
“DOCX” means an Office Open XML format Microsoft Word document;
“Drawings Document” means the document containing drawings;
“Fees Rules” means The Patents (Fees) Rules 2007 (S.I. 2007/3292) (as amended);
“ODT” means an open XML OpenDocument Format text document;
“OLE” means Microsoft’s object linking and embedding technology, or any other technology having the same or similar functionality;
“PDF” means Portable Document Format compliant with the latest version of ISO 32000;
“Registered Email Address” means the email address associated with a User’s GOV.UK One Login and/or, where appropriate, another email address provided for the purpose of receiving notifications;
“Rules” means The Patents Rules 2007 (S.I.2007/3291) (as amended);
“User” means an individual person using the Digital Service;
“XML” means eXtensible Markup Language.
6. In these directions, unless the contrary intention appears, words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular.
Requirements as to form and manner of documents
Delivery of documents
7. The Documents must be submitted using a Digital Service.
8. A User submitting a Document via a Digital Service must comply with any relevant instructions which are displayed on, or communicated via, the Digital Service.
9. Documents must not be encrypted.
Form and format of documents
10. The Claim Document and the Description Document must be a DOCX or ODT file.
11. The Claim Document and the Description Document may contain or include chemical or mathematical formulae but must not contain alternative text for images (so-called “alt-text”).
12. The Drawings Document must be a PDF file.
13. A Document which contains sequence listings must be XML and must comply with the World Intellectual Property Organization standard ST.26 (as amended or updated).
14. All other documents must be a DOCX, ODT or PDF file.
15. Each of the Application Documents (the Claim Document, the Description document and any Drawings Document) must be submitted as a separate document and must not contain any other part of the specification.
16. Any amendment or correction to a Document must be submitted as a complete, amended or corrected, Document.
17. The Documents must be wholly and completely legible.
18. The Documents must not contain OLE objects.
19. The Documents must not contain “comments.”
20. The Application Documents must not contain tracked changes or other annotations.
21. The Application Documents must not contain version histories.
22. In the Application Documents, references to internet resources must include the full Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address.
23. The Application Documents must comply with the following paragraphs of Schedule 2 to the Rules, which shall be formal requirements for the purposes of s.15A of the Act:
(i) 3 to 7 (inclusive),
(ii) 9,
(iii) 11 to 12 (inclusive),
(iv) 14 to 19 (inclusive), and
(v) 20A.
24. The Application Documents must use a minimum font size of ten-point and must not contain condensed or narrow fonts.
25. The Description Document must not include a title.
26. Documents using the PDF format must not contain attachments or links.
Date and time of delivery
27. The date and time of delivery of a document submitted using a Digital Service shall be the date and time generated by the Digital Service.
28. A User may treat a Document as delivered when it is shown in that User’s Customer Account or an acknowledgement email is received by that User at their Registered Email Address.
Fees
29. Where a fee is required by the Fees Rules, the fee specified in the Digital Service must be paid in full via the Digital Service at the same time as completing the action which gives rise to the fee.
Julyan Elbro
Divisional Director – Patent Examination
Acting on behalf of the Comptroller
27 March 2026