The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has become a partner of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Green advisory board, on 16 July 2024. WIPO Green is an online platform which supports global efforts to address climate change. The platform connects providers and seekers of environmentally friendly technologies to accelerate green innovation. The partnership agreement was signed by Sarah Roberts-Favell, Deputy Director of International Policy, and WIPO’s Assistant Director General Edward Kwakwa during WIPO’s 65th General Assemblies.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published a new webpage collating research publications and reports on the enforcement and infringement of IP rights, spanning topics such as social media influencers and counterfeit goods, online copyright infringement and counterfeit goods.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its response to a consultation conducted in early 2024 to determine the best approach for providing foreign performers and producers with the public performance rights (PPR) payments they are entitled to when their sound recordings are broadcast or played publicly in the UK. Historically, the way UK law addressed this right had not fully aligned with the country’s international obligations. Following the consultation and discussions with industry stakeholders, the government has selected an approach called Option 0A. Under this option, limited changes will be made to how foreign performers quality for PPR, which will mean PPR would be extended to foreign performers where the producer of the sound recording of their performance is a national of the UK or certain other countries, including any nation party to the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms, and Broadcasting Organizations. Qualification for PPR for foreign producers will continue to be provided on the same terms as before. Option 0A will be implemented through secondary legislation under powers granted by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), in conjunction with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), has confirmed that baseline funding for the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) will continue for a further three years, from April 2026 to March 2029. Approximately £3m per year will be provided by DSIT via the IPO. The IPO and PIPCU will also develop a pilot scheme for collaborative industry co-funding, commencing in April 2027, to assess how additional enforcement activity could be delivered through partnership funding. The IPO and PIPCU are currently identifying priorities for the pilot and determining the level of contribution required, with stakeholder engagement to follow in due course.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced the government's decision to maintain the UK+ exhaustion regime as the permanent framework for parallel imports. The regime, in place since January 2021, allows parallel imports from the European Economic Area (EEA) into the UK when goods are first placed on the market in either the UK or EEA. Following a consultation that received 150 responses, the IPO reports that a majority of respondents favoured maintaining the UK+ regime. The decision aims to provide certainty for businesses while ensuring compatibility with the UK's international obligations under the Windsor Framework. The regime will continue to apply across all IP rights including patents, trade marks, designs and copyright.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a consultation seeking views on changes to how foreign nationals qualify for broadcasting and performance rights in UK copyright law. The intended change will ensure that the law works for both creators and users and is consistent with the UK’s international commitments. Responses can be sent until midday on 11 March 2024.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has introduced Statements of grant of Protection (SOGs) for international design registrations following the success of a trial it has been running since February 2024. These SOGs provide evidence and quicker certainty of international registration acceptance, aiding in the enforcement of design rights and aligning the IPO with international practices. This is taking place in the context of the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, an initiative designed to allow stakeholders to protect a design in many different countries through a single application to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued directions permitting and governing the online delivery of certain statutory and non-statutory forms via GOV.UK instead of posting them, under the Registered Designs Act 1949, the Patents Act 1977 and the Trade Marks Act 1994. The directions, which came into force on 5 May 2026, set out requirements for users completing online forms, including providing an email address, complying with instructions for supporting documents, rules on date and time of delivery and payment of fees through the IPO online fees service.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has released guidance which explains why and how parties in an intellectual property (IP) case must notify it about court actions, in compliance with the obligation under rule 63.14(3) of the Civil Procedure Rules. The guidance notes that the IPO should be notified regarding cases that involve patents, trade marks, supplementary protection certificates, and registered designs where the outcome may affect the register, such as revocation or invalidity proceedings, infringement cases where there is a counterclaim for revocation or invalidity, or entitlement. The guidance also provides information about who should notify the IPO and how.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published updated guidance for trade mark applicants following the Supreme Court's decision in SkyKick UK Ltd and another v Sky Ltd and others. The Practice Amendment Notice (PAN 1/25) introduces immediate changes to trade mark examination processes, with a focus on preventing bad faith applications involving overly broad specifications.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched OneIPOSearch, a new online tool for searching UK patents, as part of its major digital transformation. The service replaces the 13-year-old Ipsum system and offers enhanced features to make patent searching more accessible for IP professionals and the public. OneIPOSearch represents a significant milestone in the IPO's 'OneIPO' transformation programme, which aims to comprehensively modernise UK intellectual property services. Future developments will include AI-assisted searching and integrated trade mark and design searches, further supporting UK innovation and growth.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has opened a consultation seeking views on measures to improve the Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) licensing ecosystem. The consultation, running until 11:59pm on 7 October 2025, follows evidence gathering since 2021 that identified issues including lack of pricing transparency, asymmetric licensing information, patent essentiality concerns and increasing litigation complexity. The government is seeking input on measures to create a more balanced ecosystem for all parties. Responses can be submitted via Citizen Space or directly to the IPO.