New digital patents services have launched
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New patents service update: June 2026 In April the
IPO launched a new patents service to the public. Since then,
we've seen a significant increase in usage of the new
service, and it's become the main way that people file patent
applications with the IPO. Since 1 April 2026, the service has
seen over: 13,000 transactions
4,700 patent applications ...Request free trial
New patents service update: June 2026 In April the IPO launched a new patents service to the public. Since then, we've seen a significant increase in usage of the new service, and it's become the main way that people file patent applications with the IPO. Since 1 April 2026, the service has seen over:
To put the above figures into context, we've received more than twice as many transactions since launch than in the entire period of private beta', which ran from summer 2025 - March 2026. So far, we've seen approximately three quarters of patent applications coming in via the new service. Decommissioning legacy services Over the coming months we'll begin decommissioning the remaining legacy services. This is an important step, because running two different systems at the same time makes things slower and more complicated for us and our customers. There will be two main steps in the decommissioning process: 1. We'll be decommissioning the legacy emailing tool. This means that if you've been getting duplicate correspondence, that will stop and you'll just get correspondence from the new service. 2. We'll be decommissioning the Web Filing service and will stop accepting patent applications and requests via forms@ipo.gov.uk. We will not decommission the legacy services until we have contingencies in place in the event that the new service is unavailable. We expect the decommissioning process to be completed no sooner than autumn 2026. We will give advanced notice of the exact dates of at least two months. The forms@ipo.gov.uk mailbox will continue to be used for queries relating to trade marks and designs. Service contingency Ahead of the legacy services being decommissioned, we are reviewing our contingency plans for if the new service becomes temporarily unavailable. We will share further details once our plans have been finalised and in advance of the legacy services being decommissioned. Improvements to the patents service In February we published our roadmap of service improvements. We've now published an update showing what we've already done since then and what we're working on next. Our top priorities that we're working on now are:
Get in touch If you have any questions about either decommissioning of our legacy services or the new service, contact information@ipo.gov.uk. Our main contact point for queries on the new service has recently changed to information@ipo.gov.uk. Queries about the new service will now be picked up by a wider group of colleagues, as they were for the legacy services. You can also find lots of guidance and support on the new service in the following places:
New digital patents services launched: April 2026 The services launched today allow customers to apply for, manage and renew UK patents in one place. This marks the next step in the One IPO' digital transformation programme which will deliver new digital services for UK intellectual property. The programme will eventually bring patents, trade marks and designs services together under one roof onto a single digital platform. All of the IPO's core patents services are now available on the new platform. Trade marks and registered designs will come later. Overview of new services In January 2025 we launched the Search for a patent and Check the patent journal services (also known as One IPO Search'), which made information about UK patents simpler and easier for the public to access. Today the IPO has launched two further patents services. 1. Manage intellectual property The Manage intellectual property' service allows patent customers to create their own digital IP account for the first time. The account is the gateway to our other new digital services. Benefits include the ability to:
2. Apply for a patent The new Apply for a patent' service is a digital patent application service. Improvements this service offers include:
Accessing new services if I'm not an IP professional The new services can now be accessed from GOV.UK . The Patents, trade marks, copyright and designs page on GOV.UK contains links to all of IPO's services. We have updated this section of our website to include information about accessing the new services and creating your account. Accessing new services as an IP professional If you are an IP professional (for example, a patent attorney) or work for a company with an in-house IP team, it's likely we've already set up an account for your organisation. When we set up your organisation's account, we give one person in each firm access, (they become the account administrator). They are then responsible for inviting other people in the organisation onto the service. To gain access to the service as an IP professional depends on whether:
Access for patent renewals professionals If renewing a patent is the only service you wish to use, you can create an account on GOV.UK. You can do this without having your account being linked to an organisation. This is because anyone can pay to renew a patent you don't have to be the patent owner or their representative. Changes to existing services In the future, we will be retiring our existing (legacy') services. During the transition period, you can submit requests to the IPO in the following ways:
As a reminder, from 1 April 2026 UK patent applications can no longer be submitted via the European Patent Office's Electronic Online Filing (eOLF) service. This service stopped receiving technical support from the European Patent Office on 1 January 2026 as part of the decommissioning process. Guidance and further information There's lots of guidance and support available to help you get started with the new services, including:
Next steps While the public launch of our new patents services is an important milestone, it's just the beginning. We are committed to continuously improving these services in the weeks, months and years to come and have a dedicated team in place to do this. We have already published a roadmap of planned improvements that we'll be rolling out over the next 12 months. Now that the new patents services are available to the public, we will shortly begin phase two of our One IPO transformation programme new digital services for trade marks. If you have any questions about our new services, please contact information@ipo.gov.uk.
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