was part of the old patent system. It had been located in Lincoln's Inn. Significantly, the process of applying for a patent was extremely complicated and largely set up to ensure fees were paid to various officials (patent fees formed a significant part of the stipend of the Attorney and Solicitor General). The Patent Law Amendment Act 1852 brought the process of patent grant into a single office serving the whole of the United Kingdom (where previously a petitioner had had to apply and pay fees to several offices, and to obtain separate patents for each of the UK's constituent nations). Initially, people applying for a patent often used to submit a detailed model of their submission; these were retained and the collection became known as the Patent Museum (opened to the public in 1863 in South Kensington, it went on to become a core collection of the new Science Museum there). Location From its early days, the Patent Office was based in the Chancery Lane area of London, where it eventually spread to fill the area between Furnival Street and Southampton Buildings. The principal entrance was at 25 Southampton Buildings, where a purpose-built headquarters was constructed in 1899–1902 (architect: Sir John Taylor). The principal interior space was the Library, a "harsh but spectacular space 140ft long, lit from skylights and a clerestory, with two tiers of steel-framed, fireproofed galleries on cast iron Corinthian columns". Designed to allow members of the public to consult patent records, it also contained a very extensive collection of technical and scientific publications, which in 1967 was transferred to the British Library. In 1991, having outgrown its original premises, the Patent Office moved to Newport, South East Wales, where the IPO headquarters remains to this day. A small branch office in London has been maintained for the benefit of the large professional community based there and for communication with central government. See also Copyright law of the United Kingdom Departments of the United Kingdom Government Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) IP Federation (formerly the "Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Federation" or TMPDF) Patents County Court (PCC) Patent office Software patents under United Kingdom patent law Company Names Tribunal Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) – Funded by the Intellectual Property Office References External links UK Patents Act 1977 and Rules Department for Business,