First patent filed using IPO’s new digital service
Intellectual Property Office (IPO) also debuts new AI tool that reduces the time taken to get a patent application to the right team – from 14 days to just seconds.
Thomas Gibb, Chief Compliance Officer at intellectual property firm Murgitroyd, has become the first person to file a patent using the IPO’s digital ‘One IPO’ service. A team from the IPO were there at the Murgitroyd office in Southampton to see the application made, alongside patent attorneys and paralegal teams.
Photo by Greg Rosenke
Gibb described the new system as ‘great’. ‘We’re really excited about what it can do already,’ he continued, ‘and we’re looking forward to seeing how it will develop. The team were really positive about it – it looks easier to use than what we’re used to. It was exciting to join the pilot, file the first patent and be a part of patent history!’
Murgitroyd is one of a number of IPO customers given early access to test the new system ahead of the formal launch, expected early in the new year.
The new digital application process is the latest step in the IPO’s transformation programme, begun in 2021, to provide a single, integrated service for managing all UK IP rights. A further three-year strategy was published in May this year with a clear objective: by making it quicker and easier to register patents, while ensuring confidence in the system, the IPO aims to support creators and innovators and grow the UK economy.
To achieve this and become a more innovative, dynamic and responsive organisation, the IPO has spent the past three years working with hundreds of patents customers to develop a best-in-class rights-granting service that meets what those customers need.
With that in mind, the new patent application service will, for the first time, enable customers to view, manage and update their portfolio of UK patents online. Customers will also be able to submit information in manageable chunks and in the order that suits them, through a more fluid process. They can also save draft applications and share them with colleagues and clients for easier, more flexible collaboration and ways of working.
Meanwhile, built-in checks will help to prevent errors and provide immediate feedback on formatting issues, reducing delays. Further efficiencies include reusing data from the customers’ account so that information does not need to be re-entered for each application.
As well as the witnessing the first digital application, the IPO team also debuted a new AI-powered patent allocation system that greatly speeds up the process of getting an application to the right team. Where this can currently take some 14 days, the new AI system can do so in mere seconds.
It’s thought that further improvements will include a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs), enabling attorneys to transact with the IPO directly from their existing IP software. The IPO will launch a new online patents search later this year. A service covering trademarks, designs and IPO tribunals is expected to launch in 2026.
Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, says: ‘The IPO’s new service is an embodiment of our vision to transform how we deliver slicker and quicker digital services to the British public. The One IPO system will make it easier for users to bring their new innovations to market. Through the application of cutting-edge AI, it will also change what is currently a weeks-long administrative process into one taking a matter of seconds. This represents a true revolution in efficiency, supporting innovators to deliver the solutions which will kickstart our economic growth and usher in a new era of productivity.’
Natasha Chick, Divisional Director of Transformation at the IPO adds: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled that the first patent has been filed using our new service. We’ve made so much progress, and this is a huge moment that shows how far we’ve come. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on with more customers.’
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