The Patent Office has changed its name reports Netribution. Now called the UK Intellectual Property Office, the change was recommended in the Gower Review of Intellectual Property and is meant to reflect the wider role of the Patent Office in the future.

The Gowers Review investigated the legal, regulatory and commercial climate for intellectual property and was published last December. The Review looked whether a separate Copyright Office was needed, but concluded that the role and name of the Patent Office should change, reflecting oversight of all forms of intellectual property.

“The name of the Patent Office can be misleading to stakeholders,” said the Review. “It suggests that the office is only concerned with patents while, in fact, it performs a broad range of functions in relation to all IP. The present name also contributes to the perception that other forms of IP, for example copyright, take a lower priority.”