UK reveals orphan works plan

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

UK reveals orphan works plan

The UK government has today published its response to a public consultation on plans for a licensing scheme for orphan copyright works

It said it received 57 responses to its consultation, which closed in February. The government now plans to allow the Intellectual Property Office to take on the role of an authorising body so that people can use orphan works ­­lawfully.

The authorising body will take the place of an absent copyright owner and consider applications to use orphan works. It will also decide what fees a user should pay, grant a licence to the user, and hold the fees it receives for a certain period of time.

The government says that users will only be granted a licence if they can show that they have carried out a diligent search for the copyright owner.

The final regulations and explanatory memorandum are expected to be laid before Parliament before September.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

In the first of a two-part article, lawyers at Spruson & Ferguson and Marshall Gerstein provide an overview of China’s system for appealing against patent invalidation decisions
Lawyers and corporate leaders at INTA’s Business of M&A conference in New York discussed how cross-practice collaboration and early in-house involvement can help deals
Lily Li, partner at Morrison Foerster, shares how her litigation team helped secure victory at the ITC in a patent infringement case
Top talking points also included news of an appellate ruling concerning ‘Pisco’ and Indian drugmakers gearing up to launch generic versions of Ozempic as Novo Nordisk’s patent expires
The government’s keenly awaited view on AI and copyright has positive themes but leaves rights owners wanting, says Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard
While IP Australia’s updated manual could be favourable to computer-implemented inventions, stakeholders would like to see whether a consistent and reliable standard is followed during actual examination
UKIPO will remain a competitive option as long as efficient service continues
A future opt-out has not been ruled out, but practitioners warn that the UK could fall behind in the AI race
US patent lawyers say they are increasingly advising clients on China strategies as corporations seek to gain leverage in enforcement, licensing, and supply chain management
Mike Rueckheim reunites with 12 of his former Winston & Strawn colleagues as King & Spalding continues aggressive hiring streak
Gift this article