Guidance

Patents: Manual of Patent Practice

The Manual of Patent Practice explains the Intellectual Property Office's practice under the Patents Act 1977.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Published: 1 July 2014
• Last updated: 1 July 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 1 July 2026

     Changes to the online manual for July 2026 added

  2. 4 June 2026

     The Manual of Patent Practice is undergoing a major review following the launch of the One IPO patent service. We expect to incorporate updates into the Manual over the coming months.

  3. 1 April 2026

     Changes to the online manual for April 2026 added

  4. 2 January 2026

     Online manual to reflect January 2026 changes.

  5. 1 October 2025

     Minor amendments related to the replacement of IPSUM with the One IPO Search service, and the move away from PROSE across the Manual.

  6. 1 July 2025

     Online manual to reflect July 2025 changes.

  7. 1 April 2025

     Online manual to reflect April 2025 changes.

  8. 2 January 2025

     Online manual to reflect January 2025 changes.

  9. 1 October 2024

     Online manual to reflect October 2024 changes.

  10. 1 July 2024

      Online manual to reflect July 2024 changes.

  11. 2 April 2024

      Online manual to reflect April 2024 changes.

  12. 2 January 2024

      Online manual to reflect January 2024 changes.

  13. 2 October 2023

      Online manual to reflect October 2023 changes.

  14. 3 July 2023

      Online Manual of Patent Practice updated.

  15. 3 April 2023

      Online manual to reflect April 2023 changes.

  16. 3 January 2023

      Online manual to reflect January 2023 changes.

  17. 3 October 2022

      Online manual to reflect October 2022 changes.

  18. 1 July 2022

      Online manual to reflect July 2022 changes.

  19. 1 April 2022

      Online manual to reflect April 2022 changes.

  20. 4 January 2022

      Online manual to reflect January 2022 changes.

  21. 1 October 2021

      MOPP online version for October 2021 updated.

  22. 1 July 2021

      MOPP online version for July 2021 updated.

  23. 1 April 2021

      MOPP online version for April 2021 updated.

  24. 4 January 2021

      MOPP online version for January 2021 updated.

  25. 1 October 2020

      MOPP online version for October 2020 updated.

  26. 1 July 2020

      MOPP online version for July 2020 updated.

  27. 1 April 2020

      MOPP online version for April 2020.

  28. 2 January 2020

      New PDF version updated 2 January 2020 and a new online version.

  29. 1 October 2019

      New PDF version updated 1 October 2019 and a new online version.

  30. 1 July 2019

      New PDF version updated 1 July 2019 and a new online version.

  31. 29 March 2019

      New PDF version updated 29 March 2019 and a new online version.

  32. 2 January 2019

      New PDF version updated 2 January 2019 and a new online version.

  33. 1 October 2018

      New PDF version updated 1 October 2018 and a new online version.

  34. 29 June 2018

      New PDF version updated 29 June 2018 and a new online version.

  35. 29 March 2018

      New PDF version updated 29 March 2018 and a new online version.

  36. 2 January 2018

      New PDF version updated 2 January 2018 and a new online version.

  37. 29 September 2017

      New PDF version updated 29 September 2017 and a new online version.

  38. 30 June 2017

      New PDF version updated 30 June 2017 and a new online version.

  39. 31 March 2017

      New PDF version updated 31 March 2017 and a new online version.

  40. 30 December 2016

      New PDF version updated 30 December 2016 and a new online version.

  41. 30 September 2016

      New Pdf and online version added.

  42. 1 July 2016

      New PDF version updated 1 July 2016 and a new online version.

  43. 31 March 2016

      New PDF version updated 31 March 2016 and a new online version.

  44. 31 December 2015

      New PDF version updated 31 December 2015 and a new online version.

  45. 8 December 2015

      Updated citation format document added. New online chapter for citation formats added.

  46. 7 December 2015

      Link to online manual added.

  47. 1 October 2015

      New version updated - 1 October 2015.

  48. 1 July 2015

      New version updated - 1 July 2015.

  49. 12 June 2015

      Citations Formats has been added.

  50. 1 April 2015

      New version updated - 1 April 2015.

  51. 1 January 2015

      New version updated - 1 January 2015.

  52. 1 October 2014

      Updated version of the MoPP published on 1 October 2014.

  53. 1 July 2014

      First published.

Documents

Manual of Patent Practice

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manual-of-patent-practice-mopp

Details

The Manual of Patent Practice is undergoing a major review following the launch of the One IPO patent service.

To help you use the new service, we’ve published demo videos, blogs, an FAQ, Directions for the use of the One IPO Digital Services - GOV.UK, and a roadmap of upcoming service improvements.

We expect to incorporate updates into this Manual over the coming months.

If you need any further support, please get in touch with our team at information@ipo.gov.uk.

The Manual recites sections of the Patents Act 1977 and sections of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 relating to patents. There is also a section on Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPC) for Medicinal Products and Plant Protection Products.

We update the Manual regularly to reflect recent developments such as changes in the law and judicial decisions.

Please note that statements made in the Manual are not in themselves an authority for any action by the Intellectual Property Office and should not be used as a set of legal requirements. If you notice any errors please contact information@ipo.gov.uk.

Details of recent changes

Details of recent changes to the manual are available.

Request a copy

The Manual of Patent Practice is available as a PDF on request. Please email information@ipo.gov.uk for a copy.