Intellectual property in the United Kingdom

Intellectual Property

National Organisations

The UK Intellectual Property Office, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Government web page Intellectual property and your work offers useful tips on protecting intellectual property.

Regional Organisations

Since 1 February  2020, the United Kingdom has withdrawn from the European Union and has become a “third country”. The Withdrawal Agreement provided for a transition period ending on 31 December  2020. Since the end of the transition period, the EU rules in the field of European Union trade marks and Community designs, in particular Regulation (EU) 2017/10017 and Regulation (EC) No 6/20028, no longer apply to the United Kingdom. For more information, visit the website of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).
Brexit will have no consequence on UK membership of the European Patent Organisation, nor on the effect of European patents in the UK. For more information, visit the website of EPO.

International Membership

Member of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Signatory to the Paris Convention For the Protection of Intellectual Property
Membership to the TRIPS agreement - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)