Patent Office Updates You Need to Know (October 5, 2020)
As part of our dedication to helping our clients stay up-to-date on the ever-changing landscape as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve compiled the following highlights of changes to patent, trademark, and copyright operations around the world.
As always, a complete list of countries may be found in our Google Document.
Update Highlights
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The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals only authorizes email submission for case-initiating documents by unrepresented parties beginning on October 1. No other documents will be accepted by email. More information is available here.
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The Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Commissioner Shen Changyu met with IP Australia Director General Michael Schwager and discussed bilateral cooperation to help solve the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has announced that patent attorney training will be conducted entirely online from October 8-11.
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The European Patent Office (EPO) released information about the procedures and services available for filing and receiving priority documents and certified copies. More information is available here.
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The Oman IP Office has confirmed that all deadlines for IP actions that have been due since March 24, 2020 are extended until October 8, 2020. Any penalties for late renewals or submissions are removed until that date, although it is understood they are set to be reinstated from October 9, 2020.
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The Chilean IP Office (INAPI) has announced that, despite restrictions caused by the ongoing pandemic, trademark applications at the office rose by 62% in August 2020 compared to the year before, with a total of 7,422 applications filed in August 2020. According to INAPI director Loreto Bresky, the increase was due to the registry's advanced online tools.
- Other general closures & deadline extensions have been added to the document.
If you have any patent or trademark questions during this time, do not hesitate to contact us.
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Vorys COVID-19 Task Force
Vorys attorneys and professionals are counseling our clients in the myriad issues related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We have also established a comprehensive Coronavirus Task Force, which includes attorneys with deep experience in the niche disciplines that we have been and expect to continue receiving questions regarding coronavirus. Learn more and see the latest updates from the task force at vorys.com/coronavirus.
