Patent Law & Practice at a Glance – August 2026

UKIPO update

One IPO updates

The UKIPO continues to make incremental updates to the One IPO platform in line with the roadmap that it set out earlier this year. The improvements that are currently being worked on are documented here and include:

• Introducing a new “submission receipt” that will be issued immediately when a new patent application is filed. This receipt will include all the information contained in the official filing receipt and information about the documents that have been submitted.
• Improvements to how responses to examination reports are submitted, including the option to upload letters in PDF format.

UK-China IP

The UKIPO publishes a newsletter targeted at UK stakeholders, including updates on recent developments in Chinese IP. The latest edition of this newsletter can be found here.

Monthly filing statistics: patents, trade marks and designs

The latest month’s statistics are now available here. Statistics for previous months can be found here.

Customer service standards

The latest update on how the UKIPO is doing relative to the customer service targets it has set itself can be found here.

EPO update

The application of Rule 134(5) EPC after the earthquakes in Japan on 28 July 2026 and Colombia on 10 August 2026

In view of the earthquakes in Japan on 28 July 2026 and Colombia on 10 August 2026, the EPO has drawn attention to the general legal remedies available in cases of non-observance of time limits. These include remedies under the European Patent Convention (in particular, Rule 134(5) EPC), the Rules relating to Unitary Patent Protection (UPR), and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), notably Rule 82quater.1 PCT. Full details available here and here.

PCT update

Practical advice: Requirement for translations of the international application during the international phase

The following question is answered: Our company often files PCT applications in Spanish.  Several of the International Searching Authorities (ISAs) specified by the receiving Offices that we use do not perform searches in Spanish. Will we need to furnish any translation during the international phase? The answer is set out here (pages 15 to 17).