Renewal of Patents and European Patents (UK), Trade Marks and Designs by electronic means
Published 21 April 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/filing-patent-trade-mark-and-design-renewals-by-electronic-means/renewal-of-patents-and-european-patents-uk-trade-marks-and-designs-by-electronic-means
Introductory notes
a) These notes are not part of the directions. They are intended to provide background and additional information.
b) Where any document is submitted in a form or manner which does not comply with the directions, the comptroller may treat the document as not having been delivered (see section 124A(3) of the Patents Act 1977, rule 78 of the Trade Marks Rules 2008 and section 37A(3) of the Registered Designs Act 1949) and the renewal fee as having not been paid.
Payment of renewal fees
c) The web interface requires the requester to give an account name and number if paying by deposit account, or the full card details if paying by credit or debit card. Customers who hold existing Intellectual Property Office deposit accounts should use their existing details when using the web interface to request a renewal.
d) The web interface accepts payment in full at the time of the renewal request and part payments will not be accepted. Payment must be made in Sterling.
e) The web interface will accept payments for the renewal of up to 50 individual rights at the same time. To renew more than 50 individual rights, the requester must use the file upload option. These must be uploaded in CSV format. Requests using other file formats may be treated as not having been delivered to the Intellectual Property Office.
Email acknowledgement and confirmation of renewal
f) The web interface requires the requester to provide a valid email address where they can receive emails sent by the office which confirm receipt of the renewal request, and a link to download a copy of their renewal certificate.
Enquires and service availability
g) The IPO will aim to make the service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
h) Helpdesk support for online filing is available between the hours of 8:30am and 5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. The web interface will also provide a feedback facility which can be used to report problems and provide feedback on any aspect of the electronic renewals service.
i) Advance notice of any planned unavailability of online filing due to maintenance will be given on the GOV.UK website.
j) The Interpretation Act 1978 applies to these directions. Therefore, all the definitions set out in the Patents Act 1977, the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the Registered Designs Act 1949 apply to these directions. Further, amongst other things, generally any words importing the masculine gender include the feminine and words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular.
k) Any queries about these directions should be addressed to:
Legal Section
Intellectual Property Office
Concept House
Cardiff Road
Newport
South Wales
NP10 8QQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)16 3381 1154