Patent Law & Practice at a Glance – February 2026

UKIPO update

Emotional Perception: UK Supreme Court judgment on patentability of artificial neural networks

The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) has delivered a historic, and much anticipated, ruling concerning the patentability of computer-related inventions. The UKSC has confirmed that an artificial neural network (ANN) is a computer program. The Aerotel test for assessing exclusions has been scrapped in favour of an “any-hardware”/Comvik based approach, aligning the UKIPO closely with the EPO. Kate Voller summarises the judgment here.

One IPO update and online filing changes

The UKIPO continues to aim for a “spring 2026” launch of its new One IPO filing system, though an official launch date has not yet been announced. The system is currently in its beta testing phase and the UKIPO intends to publish new guidance on using the system in the next few weeks.

As previously announced, the old eOLF filing system stopped receiving technical support on 1 January 2026, and users will be unable to use this system altogether after 31 March 2026. PCT applications with the UKIPO as Receiving Office must now be submitted using WIPO’s ePCT service.

UKIPO offers one-day intellectual property workshops

The UKIPO has announced a series of one-day IP workshops aimed at business owners, inventors, and others wishing to improve their understanding of IP. The workshops are being held in-person at locations across the UK and promise to “bring IP to life through presentations, case studies, quizzes and exercises”.

UK-China IP

The UKIPO publishes a newsletter targeted at UK stakeholders, including updates on recent development 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 are doing relative to the targets they have set themselves can be found here.

EPO update

Updates to Guidelines

Updated versions of the Guidelines for Examination, the PCT-EPO Guidelines, and the Unitary Patent Guidelines will enter into force on 1 April 2026. Full details are available here, here, and here.

Extension of time limits due to storms in Portugal

In view of the effects of the storms in Portugal at the end of January and beginning of February 2026, all deadlines expiring between 27 January and 26 February 2026 for parties residing in Portugal or having appointed representatives with their place of business in Portugal are extended to 27 February 2026. Full details available here.

PCT update

WIPO bank account changes

From 31 March 2026, any payment made to WIPO’s former Credit Suisse accounts will be rejected. WIPO’s bank accounts have fully transitioned from Credit Suisse to UBS Switzerland. To avoid delays in payment of any PCT-related fees to the International Bureau, please use only WIPO’s new bank details at UBS Switzerland. Please see here (page 1 to 2) for further details, including the new bank details.

New PCT Rules to strengthen international patent searches

New amendments to the PCT Regulations entered into force on 1 January 2026. Amendments to PCT Rules 34, 36 and 63 set out a revised definition of the minimum documentation that an International Searching Authority is required to consult during international search. Amendments to PCT Rules 33 and 64 had the effect of broadening the definition of relevant prior art for international search and preliminary examination to include non-written disclosures. Please see here (page 2) for further details.

PCT Patent Prosecution Highway pilots IP5 PPH pilot program

The IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PCT-PPH) pilot program is extended for another three years, to 5 January 2029. The program accepts PCT international work products, including written opinions of the ISA (WO-ISA) and international preliminary examination reports (IPER) as a basis for applicants to request accelerated processing of their patent applications. The five offices involved are the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) of the Republic of Korea, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Please see here (pages 2 to 3) for further details.

New/updated PCT resources

The booklet containing the text of both the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Regulations (WIPO Publication 274), updated as of 1 January 2026, has been published. The new booklet is available here.

Practical advice: essential information to be included in an international application if a last-minute filing cannot be avoided

The following question is answered: Our client has instructed our patent firm only this morning, the last day of the priority period to file a PCT application. We have a description, claims and drawings, which will be the same as the priority application. We still need to contact the client to double-check whether we have all the information desired to be included in the application but we are concerned about missing the priority period. What information must we submit with the international application before the priority period expires?

The answer is set out here (pages 9 and 10).