Changes in patent and trademark regulations have been coming thick and fast, both in Britain and Europe.

Small wonder, then, that Ron Marchant, new chief executive at the Patent Office, admits to facing "a hell of a lot of work". On the one hand, there is the first significant revamp of UK patent laws for a quarter of a century. On the other, there is an evolving European framework, as harmonisation between national regimes develops and the European Union attempts to respond to business needs.