UK IPO Announces 25% Price Hike From 2026 – Patent, Trademark, and Design Application Costs to Rise
- TBA
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced that it will increase relevant fees for patents, trademarks, and designs from 1 April 2026.
It is understood that fees will increase by an average of about 25%. This includes:
Patent search fees rising from £150 to £200
Trademark application fees rising from £170 to £205
Additionally, the IPO has updated the 'payment methods' information on its official website, including terms and conditions for deposit account holders.
If the changes are approved by Parliament, they will take effect from 1 April 2026. Until then, current fees will continue to apply.
The IPO is expected to publish a full guide early next year to help customers who may need to make payments during the fee adjustment period make arrangements.
Why does the IPO plan to raise fees?
The UK Intellectual Property Office's fees have not been adjusted for many years: patent fees have not risen since 2018, design fees since 2016, and trademark fees have remained unchanged since 1998.
During this time, the IPO avoided fee increases by improving efficiency and using existing reserves to invest in digital services.
The proposed 25% average increase aims to address the 32% inflation growth since 2016, as well as future cost pressures that can no longer be offset solely by further savings or dipping into reserves.
The price rise will enable the IPO to continue investing in system construction and providing high-quality services.
This fee increase will cover multiple stages, including but not limited to:
Submitting trademark applications
Submitting oppositions or revoking third-party rights
Recording transfers of rights
Trademark renewals
Therefore, various businesses and rights holders will be affected.
If you expect to apply for or renew trademarks around 2026, we recommend that you try to submit your applications before 1 April 2026.
If you have any queries regarding trademark registration, UK company registration, VAT compliance, or any other compliance needs, get in touch with our team for more information.
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