IPO schedules patent service downtime and tracks Apply for a patent fault

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published planned downtime for its online services, along with an update on a fault affecting patent applications. The notice was issued on 11 November 2026.

During the 14 November maintenance, the new digital patents services will remain available, including Manage intellectual property, Apply for a patent and Search for a patent. Deposit account payments will not work, though requests that need no payment can be completed and card payments can still be made.

The IPO says some customers have hit a problem with Apply for a patent since an update on 29 October 2026. When they try to review and submit a request, they see a blue information screen reading "Your documents are being prepared for submission".

The IPO's investigation found that a warning about a problem with the uploaded description document is not appearing in some cases. Users then proceed to review and submit and reach the blue screen instead.

Customers who see the message are advised to check their document against the requirements in the Directions for using the IPO's digital services. The most common cause is text smaller than font size 10.

A short-term fix will change the blue screen wording to give clearer guidance. It had been due at the end of the previous week but took longer than expected, and is now expected early this week. The normal warning at the point of uploading the description document will be reinstated soon afterwards.

The IPO notes that updates are made during business hours only, so unplanned issues outside those times may not appear on its service status page.