The Intellectual Property Office, the public body in charge of reviewing and accepting or rejecting applications to register intellectual property rights in the UK, has announced that it is launching a special patent database of green inventions. The aim is to enable environmentally-friendly patents to be even more easily accessible. The database will contain inventions that have been dealt with under the Green Channel. The Green Channel, which has been in place for one year, gives a fast-track service for patent applications for inventions that have environmental benefits. Under the Green Channel, patents can be granted within just nine months, compared to the normal two or three year wait to obtain a patent for other innovations. Baroness Wilcox, the Intellectual Property Minister, said this was part of the aim to make the UK a world leader in the green economy.
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