New patent search tool launched to supercharge business innovation

Filing for a trademark or patent is one of the most important steps when starting a new business. And now, all UK entrepreneurs will be able to make use of a new online search tool to discover patent information. 

Called One IPO Search, the government confirmed the service launch last Friday. It will be available to all customers who need to search for and discover patents, replacing the previous Ipsum service, which has been running since 2012. 

Since 2021, the IPO has been running the One IPO Transformation Programme, which aims to provide a single, integrated service for managing all UK IP rights. More updates, including AI-powered features, will also be introduced in the next 12 months.

What is One IPO Search?

One IPO Search is a new online search tool designed to help innovative businesses to search and access patent information. It has been developed by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the official government body for intellectual property (IP) rights.

According to a government announcement, it represents a ‘generational leap’ in how customers can search for and discover patents by sharing this data online. As a result of the new features, customers will apparently be able to find relevant patents using simple keyword searches, and download patent information to share with teams.

Patents give businesses the legal right to their inventions, such as new products, processes or technical solutions. They are used to protect against other companies using, stealing, or imitating their IP for a set period of time.

While similar, they are different from a registered trademark, which is usually applied to marketing materials such as a business name or logo.

According to the IPO, there were approximately 200,000 patent searches in the last 12 months alone. One IPO Search will streamline this activity by bringing the service in-line with the trademark register, an easy-to-use database to find registered trademarks in the UK. 

How will the new service support UK business?

Protecting your intellectual property is a vital consideration for any new business owner, but it can often fly under the radar when it comes to getting started.

Submitting a patent application is the best way to guard your invention against copyright infringement. It can also provide a major competitive advantage when a brand is just starting out, which is why investors are often reassured by patents during a funding pitch.

It’s also not just for new businesses. Companies that have been in operation for years will often secure patents for their product or service updates. In 2024, according to Patently Apple, the world’s largest tech company had 3,082 active patents.

However, this new online service is most likely to benefit UK startups. Patent searches are often carried out by new founders during the product development stages. 

They can be useful for market analysis, learning more about a new field of technology, or to determine what design elements a new patent filing can claim for. 

By making this data more accessible and easier to crunch to the general public, the IPO encourages UK innovation. Those who haven’t developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) yet will be able to see what has been filed and adjust their business plan accordingly.

Tara Gillam, Innovate UK Business Growth said the patent landscape can be “time-consuming and complex” for startups, adding that the new IPO Search tool would enable companies to “better identify opportunities, make more informed decisions about their R&D investments, and better understand and protect their intellectual property”.

What’s coming next?

As part of the One IPO Transformation Programme, the new One IPO Search tool is just one of a number of new measures designed to revolutionise IP filing in the UK.

As well as an updated patent search tool, the office last year introduced an AI-powered patent allocation tool, which apparently slashes the time taken to submit an application to the relevant reviewer from 14 days to a matter of seconds.

Several additional features will also be coming to One IPO Search in the future, including the ability to save searches and get patent notifications later this year. AI-powered searches are also apparently in the works, although no launch date has yet been confirmed.

Minister for Intellectual Property, Feryal Clark spoke positively about the update. “Users will have access to all the information they need in a single platform – modernising an outdated system to support our innovators to do what they do best for years to come,” said Clark.