Page Hargrave - Patent and Trademark Attorneys
Bristol: +44 (0)117 927 6634 | London: +44 (0)20 7269 5730
News
Green Channel for UK Patent Applications
The UK Patent Office has introduced a new facility for accelerating prosecution of patent applications - but only if they are 'green'.
A 'Green Channel' is now available at the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) allowing patent applications relating to so-called 'green' or environmentally-friendly technologies to receive expedited processing. This acceleration may apply to any or all of various official stages of the prosecution, including search, publication and examination. Under this scheme, the IPO estimates that the time taken for a 'green' UK patent accelerated in this way to reach grant could be as little as nine months from the date of filing - significantly less than is normally the case. The Green Channel is available for all existing applications.
To enter the Green Channel, a request must be made in writing, indicating:
i) that the application relates to a 'green' or environmentally-friendly technology; and
ii) which actions are to be accelerated, e.g. search, combined search and examination, publication, and / or examination.
While the IPO will require no further reasons for accelerated processing, it is not yet clear how the necessary 'greenness' or environmental credentials will be assessed. For this reason, we advise that a brief explanation of the invention in respect of its environmental benefit is provided on application.
Page Hargrave have been among the first to take advantage of this new facility for our clients, and have successfully obtained expedited processing of applications in a number of diverse fields.
Please get in contact with either our Bristol or London office for further information, or if you have any questions on any points raised. Page Hargrave can advise and assist with all aspects of Intellectual Property.