Search and Examination of UK patent applications under the Patents Act 1977 (as amended)
Information on changes to IPO practice on Search and Examination of UK patent applications.
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On 11 February 2026, the UK Supreme Court gave its judgment in Emotional Perception AI Limited v Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks [2026] UKSC 3.
The judgment brought about an immediate change to the way in which section 1 of the Act should be interpreted and applied. This, in turn, changed the way in which UK patent applications, notably those for computer-implemented inventions, should be searched and examined under sections 17 and 18 of the Act.
This practice notice has two parts. Part 1 gives a summary of the Emotional Perception judgment, setting out how examiners should interpret and apply section 1 of the Act. Part 2 gives some general guidance on how examiners should apply the judgment as a matter of practice.