UK paves way for new digital patents service
The UK Intellectual Property Office publishes guidance on its upcoming new online service | 'One IPO' will ‘dramatically transform’ patent application process.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced “important upcoming changes” to its services over the next 12 months, in the run-up to the launch of its ‘One IPO’ digital service for patents in spring 2024.
The new service will “dramatically transform” the process of applying for a patent, said the office, which published a transformation document yesterday, May 17, setting out what patents customers can expect.
The IPO’s chief executive and comptroller-general Adam Williams—who separately took part in a panel session on the IP Office of the Future at the International Trademark Association's annual meeting in Singapore today, May 18—said: “2023 is the year that transformation becomes real as we deliver our first patent module.
“Now is the time to look at the changes that are coming, understand how they will affect your organisation and work with us to smoothly transition to the new service.
“It’s an exciting time, and we can’t wait for our customers to start benefiting from the new One IPO service, as we deliver on our promise of providing brilliant digital services.”
‘Faster’ user experience
As part of the changes, the office will develop APIs (application programming interfaces) to allow providers of IP software to link their products with the office’s new systems. This will enable customers to access a range of services directly from the IP software they use, resulting in a faster and more streamlined user experience, according to the office.
A pilot of the ‘One IPO’ service will go live in September 2023, featuring a patents search service. The UK IPO is offering a small number of customers early access to this first new service, which will give customers more options in how they search for patents.
These include keywords, IP right ownership details, date of registration, and the status of the IP right, as well as the ability to save searches, monitor patents, and build a patent journal.
Customers can express their interest in taking part in the patents pilot by emailing usertesting@ipo.gov.uk.
Full patent service launch
