Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom): Difference between revisions

Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)
Type	Government agency
Region served	United Kingdom
Chief Executive	Adam Williams
Parent organisation	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Website	gov.uk/intellectual-property

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The Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (often referred to as the UK IPO) is, since 2 April 2007, the operating name of The Patent Office.^[1]^[2] It is the official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK and is an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).^[3]

Responsibilities[edit]

The IPO has direct administrative responsibility for examining and issuing or rejecting patents, and maintaining registers of intellectual property including patents, designs and trade marks in the UK. As in most countries, there is no statutory register of copyright and the IPO does not conduct any direct administration in copyright matters.

The IPO is led by the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, who is also Registrar of Trade Marks,^[4] Registrar of Designs^[5] and Chief Executive of the IPO:

?-2007 – Alison Brimelow (afterwards President of the European Patent Office)
2007-2010 – Ian Fletcher^[6]
2010-? – John Alty^[7]
?-2022 – Tim Moss^[8]
1 September 2022-present – Adam Williams^[9]

Substantive duties[edit]

The existence of the Patent Office and the post of Comptroller-General are required by the Patents and Design Act 1907 (though most of the remainder of this Act has been repealed), but the substantive duties of the IPO are set out in other legislation, including:

The Registered Designs Act 1949
The Patents Act 1977
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The Trade Marks Act 1994

Each of these Acts of Parliament has been extensively amended since it was first passed.

Manual of Patent Practice[edit]

The Manual of Patent Practice sets out the relevant patent law and the operational practice of the Intellectual Property Office in relation to patents.^[10]

History[edit]

The forerunner of the Patent Office, the Office of the Commissioners for Patents, was established by the Patent Law Amendment Act 1852 and opened on 1 October that year. While this is claimed as the date the modern Intellectual Property Office was created it was in fact created later, along with the office of the comptroller under section 82 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 57).

There had been a Patent Bill Office, under the control of the Attorney General, which was part of the old patent system. It had been located in Lincoln's Inn.

Significantly, the process of applying for a patent was extremely complicated and largely set up to ensure fees were paid to various officials (patent fees formed a significant part of the stipend of the Attorney and Solicitor General). The Patent Law Amendment Act 1852 brought the process of patent grant into a single office serving the whole of the United Kingdom (where previously a petitioner had had to apply and pay fees to several offices, and to obtain separate patents for each of the UK's constituent nations).^[11]

Initially, people applying for a patent often used to submit a detailed model of their submission; these were retained and the collection became known as the Patent Museum (opened to the public in 1863 in South Kensington, it went on to become a core collection of the new Science Museum there).

Location[edit]

From its early days, the Patent Office was based in the Chancery Lane area of London, where it eventually spread to fill the area between Furnival Street and Southampton Buildings. The principal entrance was at 25 Southampton Buildings, where a purpose-built headquarters was constructed in 1899–1902 (architect: Sir John Taylor). The principal interior space was the Library, a "harsh but spectacular space 140ft long, lit from skylights and a clerestory, with two tiers of steel-framed, fireproofed galleries on cast iron Corinthian columns".^[12] Designed to allow members of the public to consult patent records, it also contained a very extensive collection of technical and scientific publications, which in 1967 was transferred to the British Library.^{[citation needed]}

In 1991, having outgrown its original premises, the Patent Office moved to Newport, South East Wales, where the IPO headquarters remains to this day. A small branch office in London has been maintained for the benefit of the large professional community based there and for communication with central government.

References[edit]

^ The change was recommended in the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, see Governance: Recommendation 53 Archived 11 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 25 April 2008
^ "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 September 2021. The Intellectual Property Office became the operating name of The Patent Office on 2 April 2007.
^ Intellectual Property Office, Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 16 January 2019
^ Section 62 of the Trade Marks Act 1994
^ Section 44(1) of the Registered Designs Act 1949
^ Patent Office press release Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 20 March 2007
^ John Alty, Director General, Trade Policy
^ [1] Government website.
^ Chief Executive and Comptroller General, Intellectual Property Office web site.
^ Intellectual Property Office, Patents: Manual of Patent Practice, last updated (in the light of recent legal cases) on 1 July 2022, accessed 8 August 2022
^ Official website: History of the IPO. Archived 3 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Bradley, Simon (1997). The Buildings of England – London 1: The City of London. London: Penguin Books.

External links[edit]

[1] The change was recommended in the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, see Governance: Recommendation 53 Archived 11 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 25 April 2008

[2] "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 September 2021. The Intellectual Property Office became the operating name of The Patent Office on 2 April 2007.

[3] Intellectual Property Office, Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 16 January 2019

[4] Section 62 of the Trade Marks Act 1994

[5] Section 44(1) of the Registered Designs Act 1949

[pressrelease-6] Patent Office press release Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 20 March 2007

[7] John Alty, Director General, Trade Policy

[8] [1] Government website.

[9] Chief Executive and Comptroller General, Intellectual Property Office web site.

[10] Intellectual Property Office, Patents: Manual of Patent Practice, last updated (in the light of recent legal cases) on 1 July 2022, accessed 8 August 2022

[11] Official website: History of the IPO. Archived 3 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine

[12] Pevsner, Nikolaus; Bradley, Simon (1997). The Buildings of England – London 1: The City of London. London: Penguin Books.

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+{{Short description|Patent Office of the United Kingdom}}
-The '''UK Intellectual Property Office''', or UK-IPO, formerly known as the '''United Kingdom Patent Office''', <ref> The change was recommended in the [[Gowers Review of Intellectual Property]]. Source: [[Ron Marchant]], [http://www.patent.gov.uk/leadstory.htm ''The Patent Office name change''], The UK Patent Office web site. Consulted on March 29, 2007. </ref> is the lead [[United Kingdom]] government agency responsible for developing and administering policy in most areas of [[intellectual property]], under the overall aegis of the [[Department of Trade and Industry]].  Some work on [[copyright]] policy is however shared with the [[Department of Culture, Media and Sport]] and [[plant breeders' rights]] are administered by the [[Plant Variety Rights Office (UK)|Plant Variety Rights Office]], an agency of the [[DEFRA|Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]].
+{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
+{{Infobox organization
+|name                = Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)
+|image               = PropertyOffice.svg
+|size                = 200px
+|abbreviation        =
+|formation           =
+|type                = [[Government agency]]
+|purpose             =
+|region_served       = United Kingdom
+|membership          =
+|leader_title        = Chief Executive
+|leader_name         = Adam Williams
+|main_organ          =
+|parent_organisation = [[Department for Science, Innovation and Technology]]
+|affiliations        =
+|num_staff           =
+|website             = {{Official URL}}
+}}
+The '''Intellectual Property Office''' of the United Kingdom (often referred to as the '''UK IPO''') is, since 2 April 2007, the operating name of '''The Patent Office'''.<ref>The change was recommended in the [[Gowers Review of Intellectual Property]], see [http://www.ipo.gov.uk/policy/policy-issues/policy-issues-gowers/policy-issues-gowers-governance.htm ''Governance: Recommendation 53''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011225013/http://www.ipo.gov.uk/policy/policy-issues/policy-issues-gowers/policy-issues-gowers-governance.htm |date=11 October 2008 }}, Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 25 April 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About us |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office/about |website=GOV.UK |access-date=7 September 2021 |language=en |quote=The Intellectual Property Office became the operating name of The Patent Office on 2 April 2007.}}</ref> It is the official government body responsible for [[intellectual property]] rights in the UK and is an executive agency of the [[Department for Science, Innovation and Technology]] (DSIT).<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office Intellectual Property Office], Intellectual Property Office web site. Consulted on 16 January 2019</ref>
-Policy development is carried on by the Office's Intellectual Property and Innovation Directorate (IPID), including preparation of new UK legislation, intellectual property enforcement policy, and participation in international negotiations. {{fact|date=April 2007}}
+== Responsibilities ==
-The UK Intellectual Property Office also has direct administrative responsibility for examining and issuing or rejecting [[patent]]s, and maintaining registers of intellectual property including patents, [[design]]s and [[trademark]]s in the United Kingdom.  In the UK, as in most countries (bar the odd exception) there is no general statutory register of copyright.  Therefore, there is no direct administration required in copyright matters.  Recently, the Office has also been given statutory powers to offer "Patent Office Opinions" on patent validity and infringement disputes; and to offer [[alternative dispute resolution]] services.
+The IPO has direct administrative responsibility for examining and issuing or rejecting patents, and maintaining registers of [[intellectual property]] including [[patent]]s, [[designs]] and [[trade mark]]s in the UK. As in most countries, there is no statutory register of [[copyright]] and the IPO does not conduct any direct administration in copyright matters.
-The UK Intellectual Property Office is led by the '''Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks''', who is also registrar of trade marks,<ref>in accordance with section 62 of the Trade Marks Act 1994</ref> registrar of designs<ref>in accordance with Section 44(1) of the Registered Designs Act 1949</ref> and [[Chief Executive]] of the Office. [[Ian Fletcher (chief executive)|Ian Fletcher]] will take over as the new chief executive of the UK Intellectual Property Office on April 30, 2007. [[Ron Marchant]] retired on March 30, 2007. Director of Finance Kevin Woodrow acts as interim Chief Executive. <ref name="pressrealease"> [http://www.patent.gov.uk/press/press-release/press-release-2007/press-release-20070320.htm Patent Office press release], [[20 March]] [[2007]]</ref> On April 2, 2007, the Patent Office changed its name to the UK Intellectual Property Office. <ref name="pressrealease"/>
+The IPO is led by the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, who is also Registrar of Trade Marks,<ref>Section 62 of the Trade Marks Act 1994</ref> Registrar of Designs<ref>Section 44(1) of the Registered Designs Act 1949</ref> and Chief Executive of the IPO:
+* ?-2007{{snd}}[[Alison Brimelow]] (afterwards [[President of the European Patent Office]])
-The existence of the Office and the post of Comptroller are required by the Patents and Designs Act 1907 (though most of the remainder of this Act has been repealed), but the substantive duties of the Office are set out in other legislation, including:
+* 2007-2010{{snd}}[[Ian Fletcher (diplomat)|Ian Fletcher]]<ref name="pressrelease">[http://www.patent.gov.uk/press/press-release/press-release-2007/press-release-20070320.htm Patent Office press release] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103006/http://www.patent.gov.uk/press/press-release/press-release-2007/press-release-20070320.htm |date=29 September 2007 }}, 20 March 2007</ref>
+* 2010-?{{snd}}John Alty<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/john-alty John Alty, Director General, Trade Policy]</ref>
+* ?-2022{{snd}}Tim Moss<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tim-moss] Government website.</ref>
+* 1 September 2022-present{{snd}}Adam Williams<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/people/adam-williams Chief Executive and Comptroller General], Intellectual Property Office web site.</ref>
+=== Substantive duties ===
-* The Registered Designs Act 1949
+The existence of the Patent Office and the post of Comptroller-General are required by the [[Patents and Design Act 1907]] (though most of the remainder of this Act has been repealed), but the substantive duties of the IPO are set out in other legislation, including:
-* The Patents Act 1977
-* The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
-* The Trade Marks Act 1994
+* The [[Registered Designs Act 1949]]
-All of the above legislation has been amended extensively since it was first passed.
+* The [[Patents Act 1977]]
+* The [[Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988]]
+* The [[Trade Marks Act 1994]]
+Each of these Acts of Parliament has been extensively amended since it was first passed.
-Since [[1991]], the UK Patent Office, now known as the UK Intellectual Property Office, has had its headquarters in [[Newport]], [[South Wales]], but a small branch office in [[London]] has been maintained for the benefit of the large professional community based there and for communication with central government.
+===Manual of Patent Practice===
-== References ==
+The Manual of Patent Practice sets out the relevant patent law and the operational practice of the Intellectual Property Office in relation to patents.<ref>Intellectual Property Office, [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/patents-manual-of-patent-practice Patents: Manual of Patent Practice], last updated (in the light of recent legal cases) on 1 July 2022, accessed 8 August 2022</ref>
+== History ==
-<!--This article uses the Cite.php citation mechanism. If you would like more information on how to add references to this article, please see http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php -->
+{{details|History of patent law}}
-<div class="references-small">
+[[File:The former Patent Office building, Southampton Buildings, WC2 - geograph.org.uk - 1271755.jpg|thumb|The former Patent Office headquarters in Southampton Buildings, London WC2]]
-<references/>
-</div>
+The forerunner of the '''Patent Office''', the Office of the Commissioners for Patents, was established by the [[Patent Law Amendment Act 1852]] and opened on 1 October that year. While this is claimed as the date the modern Intellectual Property Office was created it was in fact created later, along with the office of the comptroller under section 82 of the [[Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act 1883]] ([[46 & 47 Vict.]] c. 57).
-== See also ==
+There had been a Patent Bill Office, under the control of the [[Attorney_General_for_England_and_Wales|Attorney General]], which was part of the old patent system. It had been located in [[Lincoln's Inn]].
+Significantly, the process of applying for a patent was extremely complicated and largely set up to ensure fees were paid to various officials (patent fees formed a significant part of the stipend of the Attorney and [[Solicitor_General_for_England_and_Wales|Solicitor General]]). The Patent Law Amendment Act 1852 brought the process of patent grant into a single office serving the whole of the United Kingdom (where previously a petitioner had had to apply and pay fees to several offices, and to obtain separate patents for each of the UK's constituent nations).<ref>[http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/history/history-office.htm Official website: History of the IPO.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803191459/http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/history/history-office.htm |date=3 August 2014 }}</ref>
+Initially, people applying for a patent often used to submit a detailed model of their submission; these were retained and the collection became known as the Patent Museum (opened to the public in 1863 in [[South Kensington]], it went on to become a core collection of the new [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]] there).
+== Location ==
+From its early days, the Patent Office was based in the [[Chancery Lane]] area of London, where it eventually spread to fill the area between Furnival Street and Southampton Buildings. The principal entrance was at 25 Southampton Buildings, where a purpose-built headquarters was constructed in 1899–1902 (architect: Sir [[John Taylor (architect)|John Taylor]]). The principal interior space was the Library, a "harsh but spectacular space 140ft long, lit from skylights and a [[clerestory]], with two tiers of steel-framed, fireproofed galleries on cast iron [[Corinthian_order|Corinthian columns]]".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pevsner|first1=Nikolaus| author-link1=Nikolaus Pevsner| last2=Bradley|first2=Simon|title=The Buildings of England – London 1: The City of London|date=1997|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=London}}</ref> Designed to allow members of the public to consult patent records, it also contained a very extensive collection of technical and scientific publications, which in 1967 was transferred to the [[British Library]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
+In 1991, having outgrown its original premises, the Patent Office moved to [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], [[South East Wales]], where the IPO headquarters remains to this day. A small branch office in London has been maintained for the benefit of the large professional community based there and for communication with central government.
+== See also ==
+*[[Copyright law of the United Kingdom]]
 * [[Departments of the United Kingdom Government]]
-* [[Alison Brimelow]] (ex-Comptroller General, president-in-waiting of the [[European Patent Organisation|European Patent Office]])
 * [[Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys]] (CIPA)
+* [[Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys]] (ITMA)
+* [[Intellectual Property Regulation Board]] (IPReg)
+* [[IP Federation]] (formerly the "Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Federation" or TMPDF)
 * [[Patents County Court]] (PCC)
 * [[Patent office]]
-* [[Ron Marchant]], Chief Executive
-* [[Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Federation]] (TMPDF)
-* [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] (USPTO)
-* [[Software patents under the European Patent Convention]]
 * [[Software patents under United Kingdom patent law]]
+* [[Company Names Tribunal]]
+* [[Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit]] (PIPCU) – Funded by the Intellectual Property Office
+== References ==
+{{reflist}}
+== External links ==
+* {{Official website}}
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080928083039/http://ukpatents.wikispaces.com/ UK Patents Act 1977 and Rules]
+{{Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy}}
+{{Patent offices in Europe}}
+{{Science and technology in the United Kingdom}}
+{{authority control}}
-==External links==
-*[http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ UK Intellectual Property Office]
-*[http://gb.espacenet.com/ Online Patent Database]
-*[http://ukpatents.wikispaces.com/ UK Patents Act 1977 and Rules]
-[[Category:European patent law]]
+[[Category:Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy]]
 [[Category:Executive agencies of the United Kingdom government]]
+[[Category:Trading funds of the United Kingdom government]]
+[[Category:Organisations based in Newport, Wales|Intellectual Property Office, UK]]
 [[Category:Patent offices]]
 [[Category:Science and technology in the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:United Kingdom patent law|Intellectual Property Office, UK]]
+[[Category:United Kingdom copyright law|Intellectual Property Office, UK]]
+[[Category:Intellectual property organizations]]
+[[Category:Government-owned companies of the United Kingdom]]

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