Fortunately, the Patent Box scheme covers more than just patents registered in the UK. It is intended to cover the following IP categories:

• A patent granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office
• A patent granted by the European Patent Office
• A patent granted under the law of a specified European Economic Area State
• A patent application that would have complied with the requirements of the Patent Act 1977 but was not granted due to reasons of national security

Rights similar to patents are also covered by the scheme:

• Plant variety rights
• Marketing or data protection rights for human or veterinary medicines, plant breeding or plant varieties