Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the following services:

• 'Apply to register a trade mark' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-apply
• 'Check you could register your trade mark' at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-improve
• 'Give notice of your intention to oppose a trade mark' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-threaten-to-oppose
• 'Track a trade mark' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-track
• 'Search for a trade mark - by number' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase
• 'Search for a trade mark - by owner' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmowner
• 'Search for a trade mark - by keyword, phrase or image' available at https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmtext

These services are run by The Intellectual Property Office.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these services. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
• get from the start of the service to the end using just a keyboard
• get from the start of the service to the end using speech recognition software
• listen to the service using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We've also made the text within the services as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible these services are

We know some parts of these services are not fully accessible:

• the focus indication does not meet the required colour ratio as these services do not use the latest version of the GOV.UK design system
• there are form controls which do not have a properly associated text label
• there are form controls which have more than one label associated with them
• there are form labels which have not been correctly associated with a form control
• there are check boxes or radio buttons which have not been enclosed in a fieldset
• there are radio buttons which have not been grouped together using a legend tag
• there are visually hidden headings which contain no information
• there are headings which are not in a logical nested order
• there is text which has not been correctly marked up as a heading
• there are tables containing empty header cells
• there is text which has not been correctly marked up as a table caption
• there are some ARIA references where the reference targets do not exist
• there are images which contain no, insufficient or irrelevant alternative text
• there are separate images near to each other which have the same alternative text
• there are ineffective skip links which do not bypass blocks of content
• some in-page error links do not move the focus to the target form element
• there are multiple elements which have the same id attribute
• there are visually identical elements that are made of different element types
• there are headings levels which have been used for styling
• some content has been visually presented as a list but not correctly marked up using list elements
• there are elements that have been marked up as buttons
• there are buttons that do not have an adequate description
• a fieldset duplicates the main heading
• there is a page where the focus does not start at the top of the page
• an upload function does not work correctly with the enter key
• there is expandable help which does not work in Internet Explorer
• there is a video which has not been clearly labelled
• video controls are removed from view after pressing play within a video
• a video does not have captions or subtitles
• a video does not have full audio description of the information it is providing
• an element is activated on a page, which updates the page without warning the user beforehand
• JavaScript causes a page to refresh and reset the focus to the top of the page
• a continue button is placed before the final block of content
• a service times out after 90 minutes without warning the user
• the Intellectual Property Office logo wraps on smaller screen sizes
• PDF documents output by a service are not fully accessible to screen reader software

We are in the process of addressing all these issues.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact our Customer Experience Unit:

• email: [email protected]
• telephone (UK): 0300 300 2000
• telephone (outside the UK): +44 (0)1633 814000

If you have difficulty using any of these services, or need something in a different format such as large print, audio recording or braille:

• email: [email protected]
• telephone (UK): 0300 300 2000
• telephone (outside the UK): +44 (0)1633 814000

Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays.

We'll consider all requests for different formats and get back to you within 10 working days.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about these services' accessibility

The Intellectual Property Office is committed to making its services accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

These services have been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.

These services are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The latest version of the GOV.UK design system is not being used, meaning that the colour used for styling focus indication does not meet the required 3:1 ratio. The current ratio is 1.64:1, meaning some users may encounter difficulty in identifying where focus indication is used. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.11 level AA.

Some form controls do not have a properly associated text label. This can cause problems for screen reader users as the function or purpose of the form control will not be described to them. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 Level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

Some form controls have more than one label associated with them. This can cause problems for users of assistive technology as the correct label may not be read. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1, 1.3.1 and 3.3.2 level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

There are form labels which have not been correctly associated with a form control. This can cause problems for assistive technology users as information about the form control will not be described. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1, 1.3.1 and 3.3.2 level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

There are check boxes or radio buttons which have not been enclosed in a fieldset. This can cause problems for screen reader users when trying to determine the purpose of the check boxes or radio button grouping. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1, 1.3.1 and 3.3.2 level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

There are radio buttons which have not been grouped together using legend tags. This may cause confusion for screen reader users when navigating to them as the title/heading will not be read back. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

There are visually hidden headings containing no information. This can cause confusion for screen reader users to determine its purpose. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

Headings on some pages are not in a logical nested order. This can cause confusion for users when using the keyboard or assistive technologies to navigate. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 Level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

There are pages containing tables with empty table headers. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when trying to associate table cells with the correct column header. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

There is text which appears to be a table caption but has not been associated with the table using the <caption> element. This can cause problems for screen reader users when trying to understand the content of the table. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 Level A.

There are some aria-labelledby and aria-describedby references where the reference targets do not exist. This may cause confusion for users of assistive technology which support the use of ARIA attributes. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 and 4.1.2 level A.

There are images which contain insufficient or irrelevant alternative text. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when trying to understand the content and function of the image. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1 level A.

There are separate images near to each other which have the same alternative text. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when trying to understand the content and function of the image. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1 level A.

'Check if you could register your trade mark' service specific

Some skip links are ineffective and do not bypass blocks of content. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when they try to navigate to the main content. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.1 level A.

In-page error links do not move the focus to the target form element. This may cause problems for all users, especially those using assistive technologies. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.1.1 Level A.

There are multiple elements which have the same id attribute. This may result in unexpected results for assistive technology users when interacting with the service. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 4.1.1 level A and 4.1.2 level A.

There are visually identical elements that are made of different element types. This can cause confusion for voice activation and screen reader users when selecting them. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.2.4 Level AA.

There are headings levels used for styling. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when using the hierarchical structure of the headings to understand the relations to different sections. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

Some content has been visually presented as a list. Some of these lists have not been marked up correctly using list elements, which may cause navigation problems for assistive technology users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

There are elements that have been marked up as buttons. This could confuse users who expect active elements to have a use. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

There are buttons that do not have an adequate description. This can cause problems for screen reader users in determining the button's action. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.6 level AA.

On the 'Select the trade mark type you want to check' page, there is a fieldset which duplicates the main heading. This can cause confusion for screen reader users to determine which is the heading of the page. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

When the 'Upload your trade mark' page is opened, the focus does not start at the top of the page. While for visual users, this can be seen, they may have trouble navigating back up the page. Screen reader users may not know there is anything above where they start on the page. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.2 level A.

When using the enter key on the 'Choose an image using the file explorer' button the page incorrectly submits the form and users will be unable to upload a file. This can be confusing for assistive technology users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.2.2 Level A.

The expandable help link on the 'Tell us what is in your trade mark' page does not work in Internet Explorer. This means that users of this browser cannot view the content under the link. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 4.1.1 Level A.

The purpose of the 'Learn about goods and services' video has not been clearly labelled. This may cause problems for screen reader users who will not be able to determine the content or purpose of the video before playing. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.3.2 level A.

Video controls are removed from view after pressing play. This means keyboard navigation, screen reader and voice activation users will not be able to access the video controls without manually resetting the focus. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.1.1 and 2.4.3 Level A.

The 'Learn about goods and services' video does not have captions or subtitles, which may impact users with hearing impairments. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.1.1 and 2.4.3 Level A.

The 'Learn about goods and services' video does not have full audio description of the information it is providing. This means screen reader users will not be able to get all the information that visual users get. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.2.5 Level A.

On the 'Select your goods and services' page, an element is activated which updates the page without warning the user beforehand. This can be confusing for some users, especially for those using screen readers. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.2.2, 1.3.1 Level A.

JavaScript has been used on the 'Select your goods and services' page to capture user choices. This causes the page to refresh and reset the focus to the top of the page. This may cause problems for assistive technology users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.1.1 and 3.2.2 level A.

On the 'Select your goods and services' page, the continue button is placed before the final block of content. This content could be missed by users; especially those using assistive technology who may not know it is present. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.2 Level A.

The service times out after 90 minutes without warning the user. This means that users may lose the information they have input into the service without warning, causing frustration. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.2.1 Level A.

The Intellectual Property Office logo wraps on smaller screen sizes. This can cause problems for all users, especially those with low vision. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.10 level AA.

PDF documents

No primary language has been set for PDF documents. This causes difficulty for screen reader users as screen reader software will not load the correct pronunciation rules. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 3.1.1 level A.

A descriptive title for PDF documents has not been set in the document properties. This can cause problems for users of assistive technology when trying to determine the purpose of the document. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.2 level A.

The tab order of PDF documents has not been set correctly. This can cause problems for keyboard and assistive technology users, who may not be able to understand the content. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.2 level A.

Tables which have been used to layout content within some of the PDF documents, have not been marked up correctly. This may cause navigation problems for assistive technology users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

Some PDF documents contain content visually presented as a list. Some of these lists have not been marked up correctly using list elements, which may cause navigation problems for assistive technology users. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 level A.

Some PDF documents contain headings which are not in a logical nested order. This can cause confusion for users when using the keyboard or assistive technologies to navigate. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 Level A and 2.4.6 level AA.

Some PDF documents contain images where alternative text is not present. This can cause confusion for screen reader users when trying to understand the content and function of the image. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1 level A.

We commit to fixing these issues by 31 December 2026.

Disproportionate burden

We have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Third party content that's under someone else's control

Pages and websites that are linked to and from these service may not be fully accessible. These include:

• GOV.UK Pay, the secure debit or credit card payment service
• guidance pages on GOV.UK

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We regularly look for ways to improve accessibility as we update our services. Any new services developed as part of the One IPO Transformation programme will have accessibility built in from the start.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 21 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 25 March 2026.

The services were first tested on 5 August 2020 and were checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA. The tests were carried out using in-house resources.

The 'Check if you could register your trade mark' service was last tested on 20 October 2020 and was checked for compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre - https://digitalaccessibilitycentre.org/.

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office