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With the laws around Intellectual Property and Information Technology changing all the time, keeping pace is hard enough. But knowing the law isn’t enough. You need to know what those changes are going to mean for your clients. The big picture, the fine detail, the impact and the next steps.

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Associated legal terms

Abandoned application

An abandoned application is one that no longer proceeds because the applicant missed a procedural deadline, failed to pay a required fee, failed to respond to an official notice, or expressly withdrew it. In practice across the UK and Ireland-including intellectual property filings (patents, trade marks and designs) before the UKIPO or the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, court and tribunal applications, immigration and licensing-rules commonly provide that non-compliance results in the application being treated as withdrawn, deemed withdrawn, struck out or dismissed for want of prosecution. “Abandoned application” is therefore a descriptive expression used across procedures rather than a term generally defined in legislation or case law, though some regimes use it in guidance.

Key features include: no decision on the merits; loss of any filing or priority date; fees typically non-refundable; further progress requires refiling or a permitted route to revive (restoration, reinstatement, extension of time or relief from sanctions, as applicable).

Usage is broadly consistent across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, though the formal label varies (withdrawn, deemed withdrawn, lapsed, dismissed). Check the governing rules for deadlines, notice requirements and any right to revive.

Date of filing

The date of filing is the date upon which the necessary documents are filed at the Intellectual Property Office.

Excluded subject matter

A patent will not be granted for excluded subject matter.
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