Updated daily

IP Legal Bulletin

Short notes on rule changes at patent and trade mark offices: laws, fees, procedures, deadlines and funding calls. Every note links to its official source, and past issues stay in the archive.

  • Information, not legal advice
  • Written with AI assistance, checked automatically against the source
  • RSS feed

Offices followed: 14 (EPO, EUIPO, EU, UKIPO, DPMA (Germany), IGE (Switzerland), PRV (Sweden), PRH (Finland), Patentamt (Austria), IPOI (Ireland), USPTO, TIPO (Taiwan), WIPO, IPONZ (New Zealand)). · 29 coming soon

Issue of 14 September 2026

2 notes

Office
  • EPOProcedure

    PACE requests now filed through new MyEPO features and limited to examination

    This notice replaces the EPO notice of 16 December 2025 on the PACE programme. Two new MyEPO features let applicants file PACE requests in bulk for several applications or individually for single applications. Since 1 February 2026 the PACE programme is restricted to the examination phase, after faster issuance of extended and partial European search reports. Applicants can still ask for accelerated processing to receive examination reports and Rule 71(3) EPC communications sooner.

    Published by the source on 15 September 2026

    Official source: EPO, Official Journal and legal notices

  • UKIPOProcedure

    IPO shares roadmap of planned changes to new patents service

    The IPO has shared a roadmap of planned changes, improvements and enhancements over the coming months to the new patents service.

    Published by the source on 17 September 2026

    Official source: UK Intellectual Property Office, guidance and notices (GOV.UK)

Notes are written with the help of artificial intelligence from the offices’ official sources, and each note is checked automatically against its source before it appears. Our editors review and correct them. Every note links to its source. Information, not legal advice.

Back to the latest issue

Archive

Past issues, newest first.

Offices coming soon

These offices are declared and will be followed as soon as their official source can be read automatically. Their notes are not in the bulletin yet.

Europe

  • UPCEurope (UPC states)
  • MIMIT (Italy)Italy
  • OEPM (Spain)Spain
  • DKPTO (Denmark)Denmark
  • Patentstyret (Norway)Norway
  • BOIP (Benelux)Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
  • UPRP (Poland)Poland
  • IPO CZ (Czechia)Czechia
  • INPI (Portugal)Portugal
  • TURKPATENT (Türkiye)Türkiye
  • Rospatent (Russia)Russia

Asia

  • JPO (Japan)Japan
  • KIPO (Korea)South Korea
  • CNIPA (China)China
  • CGPDTM (India)India
  • IPD (Hong Kong)Hong Kong
  • IP VietnamVietnam
  • IPOPHL (Philippines)Philippines
  • DIP (Thailand)Thailand
  • DGIP (Indonesia)Indonesia
  • MyIPO (Malaysia)Malaysia
  • ILPO (Israel)Israel
  • SAIP (Saudi Arabia)Saudi Arabia

International

  • EAPOEurasia
  • OAPIAfrica (member states)
  • GCC Patent OfficeGulf Cooperation Council

Other

  • IP AustraliaAustralia
  • INPI (Brazil)Brazil
  • CIPC (South Africa)South Africa

Also watched, with nothing relevant lately: INPI (France), IPOS (Singapore), ARIPO, CIPO (Canada), IMPI (Mexico).