Generations of legislation specifying that ‘the registrar’ or ‘the comptroller’ must carry out certain tasks may have to be amended to allow the automation of Intellectual Property Office services, the agency said today. 

In a consultation opened today, the IPO sets out the legislative changes that will be necessary to automate and streamline its services under the ‘One IPO’ programme.

The IPO said it is seeking evidence and views on a range of options on how legislation such as the Trade Marks Act 1994 could be altered to better support innovation. 


The consultation also invites views on its ambition to create a single, integrated system for all IP rights.  According to the agency, the One IPO service will be rolled out for patent applications a year from now.  

The IPO’s deputy chief executive Andy Bartlett said: 'Many of the laws that govern how the IPO operates were written for a paper-based world. For true digital transformation of our services, the law needs to be updated.  

'Removing barriers that prevent us from being innovative means we can provide modern digital services fit for the 21st century. It’s essential that we hear from you to shape the laws that will underpin those services.’

Alasdair Poore, president of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, welcomed the proposals. 'This is an opportunity for the UK IPO to develop its services and maintain its position as a world leading intellectual property office, ensuring that it can offer businesses and their representatives services covering intellectual property – patents, trade marks and designs – which take advantage of and embrace the many opportunities of the new digital world.'



The consultation will run for nine weeks, ending on Friday 6 January.