Guidance and regulation

List of online and paper patent forms and fees.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 26 April 2023

• Patent forms and fees

  1. Online patent forms Please note that the search, substantive…

The Patents Act 1977 is the main law governing the patents system in the UK.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 7 January 2021

The Patents Rules 2007 set out the detailed procedures under the Patents Act 1977, and came into force on 17 December 2007.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 7 January 2021

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

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 2 April 2024

A list of offences and penalties that relate to counterfeiting and piracy.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 1 October 2017

The guidelines are temporarily suspended as of 23 November 2023.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 22 September 2022

These guidelines set out how the IPO examines patent applications for medical inventions.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 27 October 2023

The patents hearings manual provides guidance to the law and procedure concerning patent and design right hearings.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 12 October 2022

An unofficial consolidated version of the patents related sections of parts 5 and 6 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 7 January 2021

Guidance on the procedures the Intellectual Property Office follows when examining the formalities of patent applications.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 31 March 2017

We provide advice to Ministers, who decide whether the UK should submit observations and intervene in Court of Justice (CJ) cases concerning IP.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 31 January 2022

These guidelines set out how we examine patent applications for chemical inventions

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 5 June 2017

Guidance on the patent opinions service, including guidance for users of the service and our procedures for handling opinions

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 26 February 2015

These guidelines set out how we examine patent applications for biotechnological inventions under the Patents Act 1977.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 30 August 2022

Guidance on administrative procedures for patent and design right proceedings and requests for Restorations and Post-Grant.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 26 September 2017

This manual provides guidance on the administrative procedure for Patent and Design right proceedings and requests for Opinions.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 6 October 2017

This Code of Practice is written for patent applicants and agents to identify best practices in UK patent application process.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 1 July 2022

Information for business on forthcoming changes to the Patents Rules.

• From: Intellectual Property Office
• Updated: 1 September 2016

This treaty was presented to Parliament in January 2017.

• From: Closed organisation: Foreign & Commonwealth Office
• Updated: 20 January 2017