Ipsum now retired for a new state of the art UK search tool which is set to inspire innovation in the UK whilst also protecting inventors.
What was Ipsum?
Ipsum, (pronounced: ip-some), was an online service to search for, and to check on the status of a pending UK patent application or granted UK patents. Named firstly, from the Latin placeholder ‘lorem ipsum’ used during the document drafting process and secondly, to mean ‘IP sum’ appropriately named to mean a collection of intellectual property (IP) located in one place.
Ipsum, however, was limited in its features available to patent search, and finding patents without a patent reference number was a challenge.
New One IPO Search tool
After 13 years, Ipsum is replaced with a new and improved online service: ‘One IPO Search’. Developed by the UK Intellectual Property Office, One IPO Search will soon enable the user to search for, not only patents, but also trade marks and designs.
Other patent search tools such as Espacenet (a search tool for European patents and patent applications), provide patent application or publication numbers, but if you didn’t know this information, it would be tricky to find a UK patent.
One IPO Search will enable the user to search using applicant name, technology area or by time period. One can easily check the status of a (pending) patent application in the UK, either for your own or a competitor’s patent application.
The new search tool has several improved features:
- Keyword searching
- Visual data analysis to easily identify market trends and check on competitor activity.
- Patent information is now downloadable
- User-friendly interface (akin to Google Patents)
With promise of extra features in the latter part of 2025 and in 2026:
- Saved searches
- AI-assisted searching
- Trade mark and design searches
- New Application Programming Interface (APIs) for bulk data access
We are excited about this change and can help guide you through the IP process with your invention and stop others from infringing your work. For a reminder of the different IP rights read our Intellectual Property 101.
