Practice Amendment Notice (PAN 1/25)

On 27 June 2025, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) published a Practice Amendment Notice (PAN 1/25), which empowers UK trade mark examiners to consider whether specifications of goods and/or services are "manifestly and self-evidently over-broad". This represents a significant sea change to examination practice that will affect applications for UK trade marks and international registrations designating the UK. The publication of PAN 1/25 comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Skykick UK Ltd v Sky Ltd [2024] UKSC 36, a landmark ruling which provided clear authority on the scope of and correct test to be applied when determining whether a UK trade mark has been applied for in bad faith. All part of its plan to "clarify the behaviour expected of trade mark applicants", the UKIPO is aiming with PAN 1/25 to ensure that applicants act in good faith when using the trade mark system by seeking registration for goods and/or services which