Patent Law & Practice at a Glance – March 2026

UKIPO update

Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys submits amicus curiae brief in G1/25

The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) has submitted an amicus curiae brief in case G1/25 before the European Patent Office’s Enlarged Board of Appeal. The case concerns whether the European Patent Convention (EPC) requires the description to be adapted for consistency when the claims of a European patent or patent application are amended. CIPA’s view is that amendments to the claims should not generally require a change in the description, whether in post-grant proceedings or during a pending application. They argue that no part of the EPC engenders a general requirement for adapting the description, nor are there any policy reasons that support such a requirement.

UKIPO confirms One IPO launch date and publishes roadmap

The UKIPO has confirmed that it intends to launch the One IPO service on 31 March 2026 and has published a roadmap in which it sets out how it intends to develop and improve the service in the 12 months after launch.

Some applications have experienced delays in publication as the UKIPO adapts to the new service, and the roadmaps highlights restoring full publishing capacity as an urgent objective to be completed before launch.

Changes to paper forms at UKIPO

In the context of the planned launch of the new One IPO system, the UKIPO has announced changes to how paper forms to patent cases are dealt with. While in practice most forms are submitted digitally, the UKIPO intends to continue accepting paper forms, though with changes as detailed in the announcement. The UKIPO has identified the most significant change as the consolidation of Forms 1, 7, 9A, and 10 into a single form.

No changes are being made to paper design or trade mark forms.

EPO update

Audio recording of oral proceedings before the Unitary Patent Protection Division

From 1 April 2026, oral proceedings held by videoconference before the Unitary Patent Protection Division may be audio recorded by the EPO for the purpose of preparing the minutes of oral proceedings with the assistance of artificial intelligence. These recordings will be deleted once the minutes of the oral proceedings have been issued to the parties.

The recording or transmittal of oral proceedings in any form by participants other than EPO employees is prohibited.

Details are available here.

PCT update

PCT information update: EPO & UKIPO fees

From 1 April 2026, there will be a change in fees payment to the EPO and UKIPO as receiving offices. Please see here (pages 8 to 11) for further details.

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

The following question is answered: I would like to file a demand for international preliminary examination together with amendments to the description and drawings. The time limit to file the demand is about to expire. Is it possible to obtain more time to submit the amendments if they are not ready?

The answer is set out here (pages 12 and 13).

Further information can be found in previous editions of the practical advice section of the PCT newsletter:

• 03/2005: Time limit for submitting a formal response to a written opinion of the ISA where a demand for international preliminary examination is being filed
• 06/2019: The timing of the start of the international preliminary examination (following the amendment to PCT Rule 69.1(a))