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The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is undertaking a five-year programme to transform our services and provide a single, integrated system for all IP rights. Further information can be found at One IPO Transformation: the story so far - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
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Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
Applications for national UK patents increased by 7% patents increased by 7% between 2019 and 2020, with 20,652 applications in 2020, compared with 2019’s 19,245. Of these, the proportion of applications from UK residents decreased slightly, from 63% in 2019 to 58% in 2020. The number of patents granted in 2020 was 64% higher than in 2019, rising from 5948 to 9772, and this is reflective our commitment to reduce our examination backlogs through increased processing of our oldest examination requests.
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
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II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
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Details of published UK applications and patents may be searched by publication or application number at: https://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum.htm
Classification1, preclassification2 (if applicable), reclassification3 activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information
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Other matters
Nothing to report.
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- PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF PATENT INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries
PatLib UK forms The UK Patent Library (PatLib) network is part of a the 340-strong European Network of Patent Information Centres administered , managed by the European Patent Office, with the IPO Uk holding autonomy over the UK network.
The UK PATLIB Network’s main aims are: -
- To enable easy access to IP information locally;
- To provide an effective, efficient IP information service to the general public and businesses.
The UK Network comprises 19 regional centres (Birmingham, Exeter, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Cambridge, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Norwich, Sheffield, Gloucester, Worcestershire and Brighton and Hove. The majority based in city centre libraries. They have experienced staff offering practical assistance on the main IP rights, including Patents. Further centres (Oxfordshire, Tees Valley and Bristol) are due to join over the course of 2021/22.A key offering of the network is access to patent databases and support in searching. All centres have a minimum requirement to supply assisted searches to businesses. Many take this further however by providing classes to guide businesses on completing basic initial searches.IPO supports the UK Patlib Network who provide local access to guidance and support through a network of 25 centres based within city centre libraries. The centres have trained, experienced staff to provide practical support to businesses, such as database searching. A recent evaluation of the centres demonstrated that they had supported 48,725 people in 2022/23, providing IP information guidance and support to new prestart, start-up and growing businesses.
The majority of the UK PatLibs are part of the national network of Business & IP Centres (BIPC), which was started by the British Library in 2012 in partnership with the IPO. The network now consists of 21 established centres, located across England and Scotland. The UK IPO works with the British Library to ensure all centres meet the PatLib requirements to deliver specialised IP services.
Training to deliver these services has been supplied by the IPO through the IP Masterclass Master Class programme as well as ongoing individual training sessions as needed. Larger centres have had in-depth patent searching covering, Prior Art and freedom to operate searches.In addition to the guided searches some PatLib centres also offer a commercial patent searching service. This is at a low cost and is available to anyone; it is regularly used by businesses and individuals as well as IP Professionals.As the centres are located within local libraries, they make the most of free databases such as Espacenet and PatentScope and due to lack of funding do not pay for any additional databases or tools.The largest and most used PatLib centre, The British Library, located in St. Pancras, London, houses the national collection of patents, science and technology. The other libraries also have collections of patent journals and other relevant publications of varying size, but there are also substantial deposits in Glasgow.Our office, through the British Library, takes part in numerous exchange and grant programmes with other patent offices around the world as in previous years.
Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
Our main office is located in Newport, Wales, where the public can file applications and discuss possible IP protection with an IPO Advisor over the phone or in person via appointment. In addition, we also have a front office in London where customers can file any correspondence for the attention of the Office.
Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)
Nothing to report.
Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
We continue to raise awareness of the resources we have developed for universities and research institutions to help them think more strategically about their IP, ensuring they can make informed decisions on IP issues - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ip-in-education/ip-in-education
The Lambert toolkit provides guidance and model agreements to facilitate negotiations between universities and businesses undertaking collaborative research projects. An updated toolkit will be launched in the summer 2021.
The Intellectual Asset Management for Universities guidance helps senior university leaders set strategies to optimise the benefits from the intellectual assets created by their staff and students. The guide is currently being reviewed and will be relaunched later in 2021.
We work closely with our IP for Universities and Colleges (IPUC) stakeholder group, which includes patent and trademark attorneys, lecturers and industry professionals, to support our work with universities.
Our Business Outreach continues to raise awareness of IP, helping businesses reach an informed decision on how to use, manage, and enforce their IP to its full potential. This is done via a portfolio of business tools including mobile and online resources, seminars, workshops/training and working with partners to deliver broader dissemination and understanding of IP https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intellectual-property-for-business
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
As part of our commitment to increase IP’s impact through awareness and education, in 2018 we commissioned a comprehensive review of our education resources. The findings of the review provided opportunities for us to increase the impact of our education resources. This has led to the development of an IP Education Policy which sets out how we will take a long term, strategic approach to educating young people so that understanding is developed systematically, and incrementally, from a young age.
We continue to communicate IP awareness to young people from primary through to secondary school. For schools we have developed a range of curriculum linked education resources to raise awareness of innovation, creativity and intellectual property. We have refreshed our successful relationship with Aardman Animations to front our primary education resource Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas. Despite the restrictions in schools in the UK, the competition which relaunched in 2020 has routinely over reached on its target entries with entrants demonstrating their understanding of intellectual property. In 2021 the IPO partnered with TES (Times Education Supplement) to move their education resources under their site. There is an aspiration that this will introduce our resources to a new audience of teachers beyond the traditional curriculums.
We have furthered our relationship with the Big Bang – the largest STEM youth movement in the UK. In 2021 we sponsored the inaugural IPO Outstanding Innovator Award which recognises and rewards achievements of young people (11-19) in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). We will also be contributing to their Digital Fair talking about patent examining as a STEM career and presenting a session on predicting the future.
For colleges, we developed the Future Innovators Toolkit (FIT), a comprehensive resource pack on intellectual property, how to protect it and where it fits into future careers, for teachers of Level 3 Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) students.
For universities, we have developed an interactive e-learning tool (IP Tutor), for university students and lecturers to provide them with a basic understanding of IP and IP rights. We also offer a set of teaching resources for lecturers (IP Tutor Plus) to help them teach university students about IP and how it is useful to their future careers. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intellectual-property-for-universities/ip-tools-for-universities
Our IP for Research programme helps PhD students and researchers understand how IP fits into their research and the commercialisation process. We have recently launched an IP for Research online toolkit. Based on the original programme, which provides workshops, webinars and live lectures, the new toolkit offers additional resources that enable staff at institutions to deliver their own IP for Research training as part of their researcher development programme or through their technology transfer offices.
Other activities
All marketing and PR carried out within the External Communications team is achieving great coverage particularly on our social networking platforms.
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
We apply all relevant WIPO standards including ST.8 for machine-readable records and ST.36 for xml transfer of bibliographic data.
In October 2009 we launched a Patents Digital Access Service for the digital preparation and transfer of patent priority documents to WIPO. The service is free to electronic filers and will benefit both UK business and the IP community.
The service automatically prepares digital patent priority documents and securely stores them at WIPO for future use. This service removes the financial burden on our customers who currently pay National IP Offices to prepare priority documents for filing at other IP offices. Please see the following link for further information https://www.ipo.gov.uk/pro-types/pro-patent/pro-p-os/pro-p-apply-online-pdas.htm.
It is also possible to exchange priority documents in paper and on CD provided the appropriate electronic signature is provided.
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
Assistance to developing countries
Nothing to report.
Other activities
The IPO provide reports to World Trade Organisation on TRIPS Agreement, TRIPS responses details work done with other offices and relate to all areas of IP, reporting on activities around technology transfer and technical cooperation.
VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS
Please include any other relevant information here.
Nothing to report.
1.Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.
2. Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner). Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office.
3. Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC). The new symbols are available on patent databases.
Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
Our main office is located in Newport, Wales, where the public can file applications and discuss possible IP protection with an IPO Advisor over the phone or in person via appointment. In addition, we also have a front office in London where customers can file any correspondence for the attention of the Office.
Information regarding patent procedures can be found on our website www.ipo.gov.uk
Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)
Nothing to report.
Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
The IPO works with universities, researchers, and entrepreneurs to improve understanding how to identify, manage, protect, and use IP to support careers, research, business, commercialisation, and collaboration. This includes the:
- IP Tutor and IP Tutor Plus resources targeting key subject disciplines, with independent and trainer-led resources for students, academics, and educators.
- IP for Research education programme to help researchers understand how IP fits into their research and the commercialisation process.
We are currently working with the sector to update our Intellectual Asset Management guidance designed to help university leaders and researchers make informed decisions about their IP.
The IPO’s resources are comprehensive and available in formats that can be tailored to specific needs. All our tools and guidance to support innovation and knowledge exchange are freely available at https://www.ipo.gov.uk/ip-support/
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
As the innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow, it is vital that students learn how to identify, use, and protect their IP as well as respect others' IP. We have a comprehensive strategy to build the IP critical skills needed to support careers, innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. We believe it is important to educate people about IP across all levels and stages of education. We want students to start their careers equipped with an understanding of IP and for educators to have the skills to pass on that knowledge.
We have developed an IP Education Framework that sets out the IP knowledge needed across all levels and stages of education, from primary schools to higher education. To support use of the Framework, we produce and promote accessible, engaging resources for teachers to incorporate IP in core syllabus subjects. These free, curriculum-led lesson plans and resources have been co-created with educators and partners such as UK Music, Aardman Animations and the Industry Trust, to ensure they align with the school curriculum. Our education resources are available on our IP-Support Website at www.ipo.gov.uk/ip-support and resources specifically for schools can also be found at www.crackingideas.com.
We also work with international partners to promote the importance of IP education and exchange information on our respective approaches. We recently proposed a project to WIPO members on enhancing IP education capacities of artistic and creative academic institutions to equip youth with IP skills. The project was adopted on 1 May.
Our business outreach activities continue to help businesses make informed decisions how to use, manage, and enforce their IP to its full potential. This is done in a range of ways including attending in person and virtual events, delivering training, and working with partner organisations to integrate IP support into business support programmes. We also provide IP Masterclass training for businesses and business advisors. Courses are offered online, in person at the IPO’s main office and in regional locations.
In addition, the UK government is taking steps to support public sector understanding of IP and wider knowledge assets to inform government policy making and the management of public sector assets. The UK IPO is developing targeted government IP education programs to help upskill public sector workers and promote an understanding and appreciation of the importance of IP and IP rights to the innovation ecosystem.
We have developed a range of accessible and engaging digital tools to develop critical IP skills, encourage entrepreneurship and build a positive IP culture, so the value is understood, and IP is used effectively as an asset By adopting a ‘digital first’ approach we can increase the scope, scalability and reach of our tools to a diverse and global audience. https://www.gov.uk/ip-support/
Other activities
All marketing and PR carried out within the External Communications team is achieving great coverage particularly on our social networking platforms.
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
We apply all relevant WIPO standards including ST.8 for machine-readable records and ST.36 for xml transfer of bibliographic data.
In October 2009 we launched a Patents Digital Access Service for the digital preparation and transfer of patent priority documents to WIPO. The service is free to electronic filers and will benefit both UK business and the IP community.
The service automatically prepares digital patent priority documents and securely stores them at WIPO for future use. This service removes the financial burden on our customers who currently pay National IP Offices to prepare priority documents for filing at other IP offices. Please see the following link for further information https://www.ipo.gov.uk/pro-types/pro-patent/pro-p-os/pro-p-apply-online-pdas.htm.
It is also possible to exchange priority documents in paper and on CD provided the appropriate electronic signature is provided.
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
Assistance to developing countries
Nothing to report.
Other activities
The IPO provide reports to World Trade Organisation on TRIPS Agreement, TRIPS responses details work done with other offices and relate to all areas of IP, reporting on activities around technology transfer and technical cooperation.
VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS
Please include any other relevant information here.
Nothing to report.Anchor
1.Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.Anchor
...
- Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner). Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office.
...
- Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC). The new symbols are available on patent databases.