Introducing the One IPO Roadmap
We are sharing our roadmap of planned changes, improvements and enhancements over the coming months to the new patents service.
An update on our plans to continuously improve the new patents service: June 2026
On 1 April 2026 we launched our new patents service to the public. Most patent applications are now being filed through the new service. Since launch there have been around 10,000 transactions, 3,500 patent applications and 3,000 new users. Even so, there’s still lots of work to do to improve the service going forward. We’re committed to continuous improvement of the service now and in the years to come.
In February we published our first roadmap of planned improvements for the service. This second version of the roadmap provides an update on the improvements we’ve made already and what’s coming next.
We’re continuing to work closely with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and users of the service to shape and prioritise this work.
What we’ve changed
There are a few key updates from version 1. These include:
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all the improvements promised before launch have been completed. (see ‘What we’ve done’ below)
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we’re bringing forward work to playback application details immediately after patent applications have been submitted following strong feedback
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as a result, we’ll now be starting work to improve correspondence later
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the groups feature (which allowed administrators to restrict access to some patents) is being removed for all users over the coming weeks
What we’ve done
We’ve made the following improvements that we shared in the first version of the roadmap.
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publishing - restored patent publishing to full capacity
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payment of grant fee - grant fees can now be paid via the new service
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derivation of right - when applying for a patent, added more options so filers can accurately state how the rights were derived from the inventor
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sign up via the IPO website - users can create an account for the service via GOV.UK
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changes to drafts - the user who submits a draft application will now get notifications about the patent, not the user who created it
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payment and invoice - introduced a new payment receipt email for customers filing new applications and paying by deposit account.
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improvements to internal system - sped up processing of requests, including filing receipts for NP1 applications
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update fees - the service reflects the IPO’s updated fees as of 1 April 2026
What we’re doing now
These are the highest priority improvements that we’re working on now. We expect these to be done in 3-6 months.
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patent application improvements
- changes to make it easier to select the correct representative for the account
- playback application details and documents immediately after submission
- improvements to ‘Check your answers’ page to include fee details and to prompt further checks -
respond to an examination improvement - Additional documents upload option, allowing response letter in PDF format and option to add your reference to the response
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improvements to account sign up - Introduce a better process for linking your account to your patents when you sign up
What we’re doing next
These are the things we’re working on next. We expect these to be done in 6-9 months.
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withdrawal - add option to upload supporting information, add a further prompt before withdrawals are completed and display supporting details of the application being withdrawn
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correspondence - improvements to correspondence, including who receives it, downloading multiple documents at once and a document previewer
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search improvements - users will get more accurate and relevant search results and be able to search in more ways, for example by publication number
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change of name and address - the change name and change address features will be added to the service
What we’re doing later
These are other important improvements we’ll be making over the next 9-12 months.
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correspondence - implement further changes and improvements to make it easier for users to review and download correspondence
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payment and invoicing - view deposit account balances and get invoices sooner for new patent applications
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National Phase applications - make improvements to how you claim a priority date on national phase applications
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renewal reminder and ceasing notifications - issue digital reminders when a patent is due for renewal or is being ceased
Launch of the roadmap: February 2026
We are aiming to launch the One IPO Service to the public on 31 March. As we approach the public launch of the One IPO Patents service, we’ve created the following roadmap for users.
The new service offers some clear upgrades over the old services - like the ability to see updates on your patents almost in real-time - that give us a solid foundation to build on. However, we acknowledge that there are areas where the service needs to be improved and we will continue to address those.
Below is our current roadmap of planned improvements. You can find out more about what the roadmap is, what it means and what the next steps are in our blog - introducing the One IPO Service Roadmap.
One IPO Service roadmap 1.0
Before launch
These are the urgent improvements we’ll be making before the service launches.
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publishing - restore patent publishing to full capacity.
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improvements to internal system - speed up processing of requests including filing receipts for NP1 applications and invoicing.
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derivation of right - when applying for a patent, we will be adding more options so filers can accurately state how the rights were derived from the inventor.
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changes to drafts - the user who submits a draft application will now get notifications, not the user who created it.
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update fees - update service so new fees are displayed and customer is charged the correct amount.
Launch window
These are the improvements we’ll be prioritising in the first 6 months after the service launches.
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correspondence - improvements to correspondence, including who receives it, downloading multiple documents at once and a document previewer
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patent application improvements -
- the representative defaults to the organisation your account is linked to
- improvements to ‘Review and submit’ page to include fee details and to prompt further checks -
respond to an examination improvement - add an ‘Additional docs’ option to allow tracked changes to be uploaded more easily.
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sign up from IPO website - customers are able to sign up for an account from the IPO website
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change of name and address - the change name and change address features will be added to the service
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withdrawal - add option to upload supporting information, add a further prompt before withdrawals are completed and display supporting details of the application being withdrawn
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search improvements - add the ability to search for patents by publication number. Improve party search by only returning addresses that are in use
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improvements to groups - a series of changes to improve the groups functionality
Beyond launch
These are other important improvements we’ll be making in the 6-12 months beyond launch.
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correspondence - implement further changes and improvements to make it easier for users to review and download correspondence
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patent application improvements - implement further changes and improvements, including ways to play back application details and documents immediately after submission.
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payment and invoicing - improvements to the payment experience in OneIPO, including views of Deposit Account balances and improvements to when invoices are issued for new applications
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National Phase applications - make improvements to the claim a priority date journey.
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renewal reminder and ceasing notifications - sending the overdue renewal reminder and ceasing notifications generated from OneIPO out digitally
Give us your feedback
If you have any questions about our planned improvements, please contact oneiposupport@ipo.gov.uk.
Today we have also published the first of our video demonstrations of the One IPO Service. We will be adding new demo videos on a regular basis on the run up to launch. You can find the first demo and all future demos on our Intellectual Property Office UK - YouTube library.
Updates to this page
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An update on our plans to continuously improve the new patents service: June 2026 added.
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Added translation
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First published.