The UK Patent Office has posted its complete range of application forms on the internet, in an effort to speed up the patenting process. The new offering, at www.patent.gov.uk, will allow companies to download forms for patent application, renewal and transfer.
Due to the length of time it takes to register patents, it is unlikely that the service will make much difference to speed, but it will make the process more convenient, especially to overseas companies. As UK law has yet to catch up with electronic communications, forms may not yet be returned electronically, so a few days is the most an applicant can hope to save.
The Patent Office received in excess of 100,000 patent applications last year, but due to the relative difficulty of registering software patents under UK rules, the internet has not increased demand on the service significantly.
