Updated: New PDF version updated 29 March 2018 and a new online version.
The Manual recites sections of the Patents Act 1977 and sections of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 relating to patents. There is also a section on Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPC) for Medicinal Products and Plant Protection Products.
We update the Manual regularly to reflect recent developments such as changes in the law and judicial decisions. The most recent update occurred on 29 March 2018 when substantive changes were made to Sections 3, 5, 8, 14, 15, 17-19, 27, 40, 72, 73, 81, 89A, 89B, 101, 123, 125, 130 and the SPC section.
Please note that statements made in the Manual are not in themselves an authority for any action by the Intellectual Property Office and should not be used as a set of legal requirements. If you notice any errors please contact [email protected].
Details of recent changes
Details of recent changes to the manual are available.
PDF version
Any newly updated text is highlighted red. The footer of each page includes an indication of the date of the latest update to that section of the Manual. Each provision includes commentary with related legislation in the margin.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/patents-manual-of-patent-practice
Content Reproduced verbatim from the Website of the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) as permitted under their Terms of Use.