======Patents Office======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Ministry of Magic]] Department
  * **Location:** [[Ministry of Magic]], [[London]], [[England]] (Specific level unknown)
  * **Owner/Residents:** Staffed by [[Ministry of Magic]] personnel
  * **Key Features:** Primarily an administrative office responsible for the review and approval of patents for new magical inventions.
=====Description and History=====
The Patents Office is a department within the British [[Ministry of Magic]]. Its primary function is to serve as the wizarding world's governmental body for intellectual property, specifically handling the process of patenting new magical items and inventions. Wizards and witches who create new magical devices are presumably required to submit their creations to this office for review and approval before they can be legally manufactured or sold.
This process likely involves assessing an invention's originality, utility, and, most importantly, its safety and compliance with magical law. The office acts as a regulatory gatekeeper to prevent dangerous, illegal, or improperly enchanted items from entering the market. While its detailed history is unknown, its existence points to a formal system of recognizing and protecting magical innovation within the wizarding community.
=====Role in the Story=====
The Patents Office is mentioned briefly but significantly in //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, where it is used to illustrate the bureaucratic nature of the [[Ministry of Magic]] and the specific duties of [[Arthur Weasley]]. While guiding [[Harry Potter]] to his disciplinary hearing, Arthur points out some of the challenges he faces in his role at the [[Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office]].
He reveals his frustration with regurgitating toilets, a type of prank or maliciously enchanted object that involves bewitching [[Muggle]] plumbing. Arthur states, "I've been petitioning the **Patents Office** for years about that. They're a bloody menace, those things." This comment demonstrates that the Patents Office holds the authority to approve or reject such items and that its decisions can be slow or contrary to the concerns of other departments. Arthur's long-running and seemingly unsuccessful petition highlights the inter-departmental friction and red tape within the Ministry.
=====Known Areas Within=====
There are no specific rooms or areas within the Patents Office described in the original novels.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
There is no additional information about the Patents Office from J.K. Rowling's interviews, the Pottermore/Wizarding World website, or the film adaptations. Its existence is known solely from its single mention in the novels.