The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published the Designs Practice Notice (DPN) 01/24: Practice in respect of the examination of a product consisting of multiple components. The guidance clarifies the IPO’s updated practice for the examination of products consisting of multiple components and rescinds its previous practice published under paragraphs 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16 of the Registered Designs Examination Practice Guide. The guidance sets out the factors the examiner will consider when examining applications for registered designs.

TMT analysis: On 31 January 2024, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) published the UK Voluntary Code of Good Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming (the Code). The Code is intended to improve transparency around licensing and royalties related to music streaming and build creators’ confidence that they are being paid correctly. Peter Mason, Senior Associate of Wiggin LLP considers the Code, along with the measures it will introduce, enforcement, and general considerations for practitioners.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its fourth wave of counterfeit goods research on 17 June 2025, examining UK consumer purchasing behaviors and attitudes. The research, conducted between June-August 2023, surveyed 5,072 UK adults and included qualitative research with 64 participants. The report, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0, found that 24% of respondents had knowingly purchased counterfeit goods, with younger consumers under 45 being the most active purchasers. The findings will inform future IPO policy and communications strategies regarding counterfeit goods.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its fifth wave of counterfeit goods research, examining UK consumer purchasing behaviour and attitudes. The research, conducted between June and September 2025, included a survey of 5,057 UK adults, qualitative research with 64 counterfeit purchasers and communications testing with 1,534 respondents. It found that 26% of respondents had knowingly purchased counterfeit goods, compared with 24% in 2023, and that 17% currently purchased them. Purchasing was particularly prevalent among younger consumers, while affordability and perceived comparable quality remained the main reasons for buying counterfeit goods. The research also identifies increased use of major online marketplaces and social media, and reports that more than two-thirds of recent purchasers had experienced negative consequences, including poor product quality, financial loss, scams, data-security risks and, in some cases, health or safety risks. The findings will inform the IPO’s policy development, enforcement activity and consumer communications.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its Innovation and Growth Report for 2024/25, outlining key developments in UK intellectual property services and policy. The report details the launch of the One IPO patents service pilot, a new IP Advance financial scheme for SMEs and an AI-copyright consultation that received over 11,500 responses. The IPO expanded its IP crime coordinator network to Scotland and Northern Ireland, while its tribunal issued 712 decisions. A new international design law treaty was secured at the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference to support UK businesses trading globally.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published new guidance to help consumers identify counterfeit goods on second-hand online resale platforms. Developed in collaboration with Vinted, the guidance comes amid concerning figures showing that one in four UK buyers of pre-loved clothing unknowingly purchased counterfeit items in the past year. Furthermore, one in three buyers did not check the authenticity of the items before making their purchase.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published the Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) Resource Hub on 22 July 2024. The Resource Hub is a collection of guidance to aid UK businesses in understanding SEPs and to enable them to navigate the SEPs ecosystem more confidently.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced that, subject to parliamentary approval, fees for designs, trade marks and patents will increase by an average of 25% from 1 April 2026, following a prolonged period without adjustments and a 32% rise in inflation since 2016. The new fees will apply to applications and renewals submitted on or after this date, while existing fees remain in effect until 31 March 2026. Specific provisions govern deferred design registrations and trade mark applications under grace periods or the Right Start scheme, where old fees may still apply if deadlines are met. Renewal fees depend on both the due date and payment date, with late renewal fees charged at the new rate from 1 April onwards. Applicants are responsible for paying the correct fee, as incorrect or partial payments may delay processing and jeopardise rights

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published guidance on the application of the European Union's non-agricultural geographical indications (NAGIs) scheme in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. The scheme, established under Regulation (EU) 2023/2411, protects names of craft and industrial products with strong geographical links and will be administered by the IPO in Northern Ireland, though applications are not yet being accepted. Northern Ireland producers will apply to the EU scheme via the IPO once operational, while Great Britain producers must apply directly to the EU Intellectual Property Office. The scheme requires at least one production step to occur in the designated geographical area and allows any producer to use protected names if they comply with registered product specifications. Existing users of product names may need to cease usage unless they hold trade mark protection or meet registered specifications, though transitional periods may be available through opposition procedures at the EU Intellectual Property Office.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published guidance on Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), for the '2024 forward look'. The IPO is committed to ensuring the current SEPs framework functions effectively to encourage innovation and promote competition. The guidance reports the key objectives concerning SEPs and covers non-regulatory interventions, a future technical consultation on SEPs and Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing​ and clarifies its position on SEP injunctions.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published guidance on its forthcoming One IPO patents service, scheduled to launch in early 2026. The digital platform will streamline the process of applying for and managing UK patents by introducing a centralised IPO account system, digital services for patent modifications and new application services with draft-sharing and collaboration features. The system is designed to reduce errors through information reuse and will also provide organisation-level access management. The guidance outlines the phased replacement of existing application systems, with the European Patent Office's eOLF system continuing to accept UK patent applications until 1 April 2026, while the WebF service will be replaced immediately once One IPO goes live. From 1 January 2026, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications with the UK as receiving office must be submitted via the World Intellectual Property Organization's ePCT service. The IPO is currently piloting the service with selected patent customers and has recommended five preparatory steps for users: monitor launch updates, set up IPO accounts, understand service changes—including eOLF retirement and WebF replacement—renew eOLF soft certificates by 30 November 2025 and follow further updates issued by the IPO.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published an internal landscape report detailing the patent and trade mark landscape of the metaverse, and an external report on the review of different sources to inform intellectual property (IP) issues and challenges that relate to the development of the metaverse. The internal landscape report highlights that the increasing popularity of the metaverse is reflected in IP trends, and such IP trends can be a useful evidence base to track emerging technologies. This report also provides an overview of the IP landscape in the metaverse, analysing patenting trends and international patent families along with trademarks, using keywords and classifications for patent searches and free text analysis for trademark searches. The external 'IP and Metaverse(s) – an externally commissioned research report' investigates potential IP issues that relate to the development of the metaverse. It outlines the key characteristics of the metaverse, together with some preliminary IP challenges, existing and persisting IP issues, which already affect ‘proto-Metaverses’, and how the metaverse evolves and emerges. It also covers anticipated new IP issues, which are associated with the key characteristics of the metaverse definitions and technologies, introducing more original challenges, and an analysis of existing and potential approaches for addressing IP issues.