Posted Friday 20th March 2020
Although we are all being required to work from home, we are mindful of the stresses that everyone is under and are more than happy to assist where required.
Thankfully, the Intellectual Property Offices are doing the same. The IPO have taken measure to support applicants by agreeing to extend any current deadlines for applications or filings.
The EU IPO are extending all deadlines expiring between 9 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 (inclusive), that affect all parties in proceedings, to 1 May 2020.
The UK IPO has also confirmed that they are willing to consider requests for extensions as favorably as possible, however this will be on a case-by-case basis. No specific extension deadline has been set.
Given the COVID-19 outbreak, in the likely situation that parties fail to meet their deadlines resulting in a loss of rights, those rights may be restored or reinstated in certain situations.
We will continue to keep you updated on any further changes during this time and can of course liaise with the IPO directly to assist you further.
This article is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.
