UKIPO announces end of period of interruption

IP News

The UKIPO has announced that its “general interruption” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which applies to all deadlines relating to UK patents, supplementary protection certificates, trade marks, registered designs, and applications for these rights, as well as contentious proceedings before the Office, will end on 29 July 2020. Any deadline at the UKIPO falling due on or after 24 March 2020 will now fall on 30 July 2020. The UKIPO’s interruption does not apply to due dates set out in other international IP treaties, such as the Patent Convention Treaty or the European Patent Convention. Further, the UKIPO’s interruption does not affect new applications filed during the interruption period that do not claim priority. Such applications will be accorded a filing date as normal. The UKIPO is unable to confirm that its interruption extends the deadline by which UK trade mark or design applications can claim priority from earlier dated filings in other countries. Therefore, both they and we recommend any new UK trade mark or design applications with a priority claim be filed within the usual 6 months of the date of the first filing abroad. We advise our clients to continue working to the prescribed due dates as far as possible to avoid surges and backlogs when the period of interruption ends in July. Please contact your usual Beck Greener team member if you have any questions.

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