Corona: Closures and Extensions of Time Limits at Patent and Trademark Offices

In the following table, closures and extensions of time limits at the most important patent and trademark offices are summarized (as of April 21, 2020):

CountryTwo letter codeStatusNotification
CanadaCAExtension of time limits until May 1, 2020March 29, 2020
ChinaCN
EPOEPExtension of time limits until May 4, 2020March 15, 2020
EUIPOEUExtension of time limits until May 4, 2020March 26, 2020
GermanyDE
ItalyITExtension of time limits until April 3, 2020March 9, 2020
JapanJPApril 9, 2020
SpainESExtension of time limits until further noticeMarch 17, 2020
WIPOWO
United KingdomGBExtension of time limits until further noticeMarch 27, 2020
USA US

Some patent and trademark offices have extended only some time limits while other time limits are not extended. For instance, the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) has extended the time limits set by the office in the granting and registration proceedings, while time limits not set by the office, e.g. opposition periods and the time limits for paying fees, are not extended. It is highly recommended to verify with a patent attorney if extensions apply to individual time limits. In case of any doubts, it should be assumed that no extension of the time limits will be granted by the office and that time limits have to be observed.

All information disclosed in this article may not be accurate, may be not be relevant any more or may be only the personal opinion of the author. Please contact a representative in the individual country to receive up to date information and check if up to date information are published on the websites of the patent and trademark offices in the relevant countries. In particular, at the current Corona situation information may change on a daily basis.

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