Making observations in reply

If you are the person who filed the request, the patent owner or an exclusive licensee and someone has filed observations on your request, then you can file observations in reply.

Once the deadline for filing observations has expired, that is, four weeks after the request is advertised on our website, you will have two weeks to file observations in reply. If you can, you should send your observations in reply to us by email. Our email address is opinions@ipo.gov.uk.

If you are the person who filed the request and are not the patent holder, you also need to send a copy of your observations in reply to the patent owner and any exclusive licensee.

If you are the patent holder (the owner of the patent or an exclusive licensee) and not the requester, you also need to send a copy of your observations to the requester.

We will write to you to let you know what action you need to take. We will not copy observations in reply to any other observers.

We will take your observations in reply into account when writing the opinion.

Extensions of time

The opinions process is quick - lasting no more than 3 months. Because of this time periods are short. Although you can ask us for an extension of time, you will need to have very good reasons why you need this. Any extension is unlikely to be for more than a few days.