The UK Intellectual Property Office is announcing a fee increase across all Intellectual Property rights, which are due to come into effect on 1 April 2026.
Fees will be increasing by an average of 25%. For example, a patent search is going up from £150 to £200 and a trade mark application from £170 to £205. Current fees will remain in place until 31 March 2026.
According to the UKIPO:
The IPO’s fees have not increased since 2018 for patents, 2016 for designs and 1998 for trade marks. During this time, the IPO has avoided fee increases by improving efficiency and investing in digital services using existing reserves. The proposed 25% increase allows us to address the 32% rise in inflation since 2016 and future cost pressures that cannot be fully offset through further efficiency savings or reserves. These increases will enable the IPO to continue to invest in its systems and provide high quality services.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the official UK government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
The Intellectual Property Office became the operating name of The Patent Office on 2 April 2007. The Patent Office was set up in 1852 to grant patents, although the origins of the patent system date back a further 400 years.
For more information: UKIPO