UK business could
save nearly £100,000 per year thanks to a free patent system
launched by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). The new online
service, called Ipsum, will remove the cost to businesses of
requesting patent documents; instead they will now be available
for free at the click of a button.
The service is open to anyone, benefiting businesses researching
patents, patent attorneys working for clients protecting their IP
rights and potential inventors looking for the best way to find
information on patent applications. This can help them understand
why a patent was granted or rejected or know more about particular patents.
Previously each document requested by a business would cost £5
and by the time it had been delivered it might already be out of
date. Ipsum is updated in real time so businesses will now have
the up to date information on patent applications they need.
Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Wilcox said:
“Ipsum is free so it removes unnecessary costs for businesses.
The service will give businesses, universities and consumers
instant access to the information they need so they can understand
the progress of patent applications and save money.
“Patent examiners around the world will also benefit as they can
now immediately understand why the UK Intellectual Property Office
did, or did not, grant a patent. This could help reduce the global
back log of applications benefiting UK business hoping to get
their patents processed in another country.”
The service is available on the IPO website – www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum.
The Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth
highlighted that patent backlogs can have a negative effect
on innovation and growth. The launch of Ipsum is another step
towards implementing the commitments Government made in its
response to the Review.
Tim Roberts, President of the Chartered Institute of Patent
Attorneys said:
“This online access to patent files will certainly make it easier
and quicker for our profession to get hold of up-to-date
information. It will also make the patent system more transparent
and understandable for business people and the general public.”
The system was officially launched by Baroness Wilcox in a speech
to the annual congress of the Chartered Institute of Patent
Attorneys (CIPA) in London today.
Notes to editors
1. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is within the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is
responsible for the national framework of Intellectual Property
rights, comprising patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
2. Its role is to help manage an IP system that encourages
innovation and creativity, balances the needs of consumers and
users, promotes strong and competitive markets and is the
foundation of the knowledge-based economy.
3. It operates in a national and an international environment and
its work is governed by national and international law, including
various international treaties relating to Intellectual Property
(IP) to which the United Kingdom is a party.
4. Ipsum is available at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/p-ipsum
5. The Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth, and
the Government’s response can be found at www.ipo.gov.uk/types/hargreaves.htm
6. The name ‘Ipsum’ was chosen following a staff competition at
the IPO. The word is from Latin meaning ‘the very thing itself’
and is a reference to the Latin origin of ‘patent’ and that the
service allows users to see the very patent documents themselves.
7. For further information, please contact Dan Palmer on 0207
215 5303 or e-mail communications@ipo.gov.uk .
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Dan Palmer
Phone: 020 7215 5303
dan.palmer@bis.gsi.gov.uk