About Us

The Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) has been set up by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) to undertake the regulation of the Patent Attorney and Trade Mark Attorney professions.

CIPA and ITMA are Approved Regulators under the Legal Service Act 2007, and in order to separate their regulatory functions from their representational functions, as the Act requires them to do, they have each set up a Regulation Board (a Patent Attorney Regulation Board and a Trade Mark Attorney Regulation Board) which as far as is possible will act and take decisions together as the Intellectual Property Regulation Board.

IPReg has a Chairman and three Lay Members along with three Patent Attorneys and three Trade Mark Attorneys. When one or other of the Regulation Boards sits to determine an issue which affects that profession, it consists of the Chairman and the Lay Members of IPReg, along with the appropriate three professional members of IPReg.

IPReg is responsible for:

• Setting the Education and Training requirements for qualification as a Patent Attorney and a Trade Mark Attorney
• Setting the requirements for Continuous Professional Development in order that the Patent Attorneys and Trade Mark Attorneys knowledge, skills and expertise are maintained at a high level
• Setting and maintaining a Code of Conduct for the professions
• Handling Complaints of Professional Misconduct against Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys and where appropriate taking disciplinary or other action.