Superfast patents – it sounded too good to be true!

According to the government response, the consultation raised serious concerns, in particular: • A higher risk of granting invalid patents, creating uncertainty for both patent holders and third parties. • An increased burden on third parties to monitor applications and make observations in a severely shortened timeframe. • A risk that rapid grant would be perceived as advantageous, when in fact it could be damaging, due to early publication in particular. • Payment of a large fee for a service which offers very little real advantage over existing free acceleration options, which already meet business needs. The Government has decided not to implement the proposed superfast service, or to make any changes to the IPO’s existing acceleration services. Thus, the existing options for accelerating UK patent applications will remain available. These don’t attract an official fee for the acceleration process. If you have any questions concerning the acceleration process, please contact your usual patent contact at Swindell & Pearson, or Michael Skinner at [email protected]

Swindell & Pearson has been helping businesses and individuals protect and defend their ideas, innovations and brands for over 130 years. With its head office in Derby, the firm also has offices in Stoke, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Sheffield and Burton. To find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you with any intellectual property requirements please get in touch via [email protected] or by telephone on 01332 367 051.