Your invention can be patented in as few or as many countries as you feel are necessary. We provide information on all aspects of patents in a variety of regions throughout the world, and other topics which may affect your patent or your decision on how to proceed.

Since some of the information in our pages applies to patents both in the UK and in other parts of the world, and in some cases to other areas of intellectual property, a number of our pages can be accessed from more than one menu.

Click on the relevant heading to access a menu of pages relating to patents in the region in which you are interested.

Patents in the United Kingdom
A general introduction to UK patents, and other important information to guide you from your first application to maintaining your patent for its lifetime.

Patents in Europe
Details of patents at the European Patent Office - how to make an application that covers some or all of the European Union (and Switzerland) and other matters that may affect your application.

"International" Patents
The phrase "international patent" is a misnomer, as there is no such thing as a true international patent. However, most of the major industrial countries of the world are members of the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT), which is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). These pages describe how to go about filing an "international patent application" under the PCT.

Patents in the USA
Some important issues unique to patents in the United States.