°Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï

New patents service update: June 2026

In AprilÌýthe IPOÌýlaunched a new patents service to the public. Since then, we’ve seen a significantÌýincreaseÌýin usage of the new service, and it’s become the main way thatÌýpeople file patent applications with the IPO.

Since 1 AprilÌý2026, the service has seenÌýover:Ìý

• 13,000Ìý³Ù°ù²¹²Ô²õ²¹³¦³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õÌý

• 4,700Ìýpatent applicationsÌý

• 3,000Ìýnew users

To put the above figures into context,Ìýwe’ve receivedÌýmore thanÌýtwice as many transactionsÌýsince launchÌýthanÌýin the entire period of ‘private beta’, which ran from summer 2025 - March 2026.Ìý

So far, we’ve seen approximately three quartersÌýof patent applications coming in via the new service.

Decommissioning legacy servicesÌý

Over the coming months we’ll begin decommissioning the remaining legacy services.ÌýThis is an important step, because running two different systems at the same time makes things slower and more complicated for us and our customers.ÌýÌý

There will be two main steps in the decommissioning process:Ìý

1. We’ll be decommissioning the legacy emailing tool.ÌýThis means that if you’ve been getting duplicate correspondence, that will stop and you’ll just get correspondence from the new service.Ìý

2. We’ll be decommissioning theÌýÌýserviceÌýand will stop accepting patent applications and requests viaÌýforms@ipo.gov.uk.Ìý

WeÌýwill not decommission the legacy services untilÌýwe have contingencies in placeÌýin the event that the new service is unavailable.ÌýWeÌýexpect the decommissioning process to be completedÌýno sooner thanÌýautumn 2026.ÌýWeÌýwill give advanced notice of the exact dates of at least two months.

°Õ³ó±ðÌýforms@ipo.gov.ukÌýmailbox will continue to be used for queriesÌýrelatingÌýto trade marks and designs.

Service contingencyÌý

Ahead of the legacy services being decommissioned, we are reviewing ourÌýcontingency plans forÌýif 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.ÌýÌý

OurÌýtopÌýprioritiesÌýthat we’re working onÌýnow are:Ìý

• patent application improvementsÌý
  -Ìýchanges to make it easier to select the correct representative for the account
  - playback application details and documents immediately after submission
  - improvements toÌýtheÌý‘Check your answers’ page to include fee details and to prompt further checks

• respond to an examination improvement -Ìýadditional documents upload optionÌýtoÌýallowÌýaÌýresponse letter in PDF format and an option to add your reference to the response

• improvements to account sign up -Ìýchanges to introduce a better process for linking your account to your patents when you sign up

Get in touch

If you have any questions about either decommissioning of our legacy services or the new service, contact information@ipo.gov.uk.ÌýÌý

Our main contact point for queries on the new service has recently changedÌýtoÌýinformation@ipo.gov.uk.ÌýQueries about the new service will now be picked up byÌýaÌýwiderÌýgroup of colleagues, as they were for the legacy services.Ìý

YouÌýcanÌýalso find lots ofÌýguidanceÌýand supportÌýon the new serviceÌýin the following places:Ìý

• a detailed guidance page on how to use the new servicesÌý

• ²¹â€¯â€¯covering key changes and top tipsÌý

• ²¹â€¯â€¯covering different features of the new services

---

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 . 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:

• search and view the status of your UK patents at any time

• make changes to your patents quickly via digital self-service

• renew patents digitally from your IP account

2. Apply for a patent

The new ‘Apply for a patent’ service is a digital patent application service. Improvements this service offers include:

• complete your application in any order, save drafts and collaborate with colleagues

• view your application details and any updates in your account

• update your application at any time through your account

Accessing new services if I’m not an IP professional

The new services can now be accessed from °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï . The Patents, trade marks, copyright and designs page on °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï 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:

• you already have an account, if so, nothing changes – you’re all set

• your organisation has an account but you don’t - ask a colleague for access, you should not create a new account on °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï

• you’re not sure if your organisation has an account yet – email oneiposupport@ipo.gov.uk for advice on next steps, you should not create a new account on °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï

Access for patent renewals professionals

If renewing a patent is the only service you wish to use, you can create an account on °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï. 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:

1. Apply for, manage or renew patents using our new digital services – this is the simplest and quickest way to work with us.

2. Continue to submit patent applications using our service until at least summer 2026. We’ll give you at least three months’ notice before removing it.

3. Continue to submit patent applications via forms@ipo.gov.uk and request an extension of a deadline via pateot@ipo.gov.uk until at least summer 2026. We’ll give you at least three months’ notice before removing these email addresses.

4. Withdraw patent applications via withdraw@ipo.gov.uk and there are no plans to change this.

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:

• updated guidance and forms on °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï to reflect the new services

• a detailed guidance page on how to use the new services

• a covering key changes and top tips

• a covering different features of the new services

• for new users that you can register for now

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.