The Manual recites sections of the Patents Act 1977 and sections of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 relating to patents. There is also a section on Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPC) for Medicinal Products and Plant Protection Products.
We update the Manual regularly to reflect recent developments such as changes in the law and judicial decisions. The most recent update occurred on 3 April 2023 when substantive changes were made to Sections 1, 3, 5, 15, and 20.
Please note that statements made in the Manual are not in themselves an authority for any action by the Intellectual Property Office and should not be used as a set of legal requirements. If you notice any errors please contact information@ipo.gov.uk.
