If you are considering registering any type of intellectual property in the UK, you might want to act sooner rather than later as the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will be increasing its fees for patents, trademarks and designs on 1 April 2026, subject to parliamentary approval, with fees increasing on average by 25%.This increase may be considered to be long overdue, as the UKIPO has not increased its fees since 2018 for patents, 2016 for designs and 1998 for trademarks.
In this context the fee increase for a one-class trademark application seems relatively modest, increasing from £170 to only £205. Were the fee to be increased in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) then it should currently be around £330.
This indicates that despite these fee increases the UKIPO remains excellent value for money.
A comprehensive list of all the UKIPO current and new fees for patents, trademarks and designs can be found at the following link:
Intellectual Property Office fees to increase from April 2026 – GOV.UK
A word about renewal fees
If you already own a UK registered trademark or design that is due for renewal in the next few months, then read on. Both UK trademarks and UK registered designs can be renewed up to 6 months before the official renewal deadline, therefore any trademarks and designs where the renewal deadline falls up until 30 September 2026 can be renewed up until 31 March 2026 to avoid paying the increased UKIPO official fees.
In the case of patent renewals, UK patents can be renewed up to 3 months before the renewal deadline, so any UK patent whose renewal deadline falls up until 31 May 2026, the renewal fees can be paid at the current rate until 31 March 2026, thereby avoiding the fee increase (unfortunately the earliest that renewals falling in June 2026 may be paid is 1 April 2026).
And don’t forget, if you need assistance in trademark filing, help with registering a design or you are an innovator seeking professional advice to protect and exploit your invention then look no further than London IP.
Contact London IP for a free and confidential consultation
