Intellectual Property Office launches Ipsum online patent information service

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched an online service designed to help businesses quickly and easily search for patents, in a move that it estimates could save businesses £100,000 a year in document fees.

The previous system required companies to pay a £5 fee and wait for the information to arrive by post, by which time it could be out of date. The Ipsum service provides all the latest information for free.

The move could benefit the technology sector by making it easier for inventors to research existing patents and find information on potential patent issues, while helping lawyers to better protect clients' intellectual property rights.

Intellectual property minister Baroness Wilcox claimed that Ipsum offers several benefits for organisations in the UK and beyond.

"The service will give businesses, universities and consumers instant access to the information they need so they can understand the progress of patent applications and save money," she said.

"Patent examiners around the world will also benefit as they can now immediately understand why the IPO did, or did not, grant a patent. This could reduce the global backlog of applications and benefit UK business hoping to get their patents processed in another country."

Tim Roberts, president of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, said that the announcement represents a much needed overhaul of the patent system.

"This online access to patent files will make it easier and quicker for our profession to get hold of up-to-date information. It will also make the patent system more transparent and understandable for business people and the general public," he added.

The IPO estimated in July that the value of UK intellectual property holdings is worth £65bn to the UK economy, driven by the emergence of new digital technologies.