New digital services offer patent managemen

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has unveiled a suite of innovative digital services designed to streamline the process of applying for, managing, and renewing UK patents. This launch represents a significant progression in the ‘One IPO’ digital transformation initiative, aiming to consolidate intellectual property services—encompassing patents, trade marks, and designs—under a single digital platform.

With the recent introduction, all core patents services are now integrated into the new system. This follows the launch of the ‘Search for a patent’ and ‘Check the patent journal’ services earlier in January 2025, which simplified public access to UK patent information. Today's introduction includes two additional services that enhance the user experience.

The first new service, ‘Manage intellectual property’, empowers patent customers by allowing them to create their own digital IP accounts for the first time. This account serves as the gateway to various digital services, offering significant advantages such as the ability to search and view the status of UK patents at any time, make prompt amendments to patents via digital self-service, and renew patents directly from the IP account.

In addition, the new ‘Apply for a patent’ service significantly streamlines the application process. Key improvements include the flexibility to complete applications in any order, the option to save drafts for collaboration with colleagues, and the ability to view application details and updates at any time through the account. This shift aims to enhance efficiency for both individual patent applicants and organisations.

Accessing these new services is straightforward, with the IPO encouraging both members of the public and IP professionals to visit the GOV.UK website. The updated Patents, trade marks, copyright and designs page provides comprehensive links to all of the IPO’s services, facilitating easy navigation.

For IP professionals, the IPO has pre-emptively created accounts for many organisations. Each firm designates an account administrator, who then has the responsibility of inviting other individuals within the organisation onto the service. If users are unsure regarding their account status, they are advised to reach out to the IPO directly for clarification.

For those focused solely on patent renewals, the IPO has made provisions for creating independent accounts without the need to link to an organisation. This flexibility allows users to independently pay for patent renewals, even if they are not the patent owners.

Looking ahead, the IPO plans to phase out existing legacy services while transitioning customers to the new digital offerings. Users can either take advantage of the new system for patent applications or continue using the existing Web Filing service until mid-2026, with ample notice given prior to any removals.

The IPO is committed to enhancing and refining these new services, with a dedicated team focused on ongoing improvements. As part of this commitment, a roadmap detailing planned enhancements over the next twelve months has already been published.

Following the public launch of these patent services, the next step will be to introduce new digital services for trade marks, further progressing the One IPO transformation programme. For additional inquiries regarding the new services, users are encouraged to reach out through the provided contact details.