The UKIPO has updated its formal notice of an “interruption to its normal operation” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the period of "interrupted days".
This means that any UKIPO deadlines concerning:
- Patents;
- supplementary protection certificates;
- trade marks;
- designs; and
- applications for these rights
which falls on an interrupted day will be extended to the next "non-interrupted day".
The UK IPO has promised that it will give at least two weeks’ notice that the interrupted days period is coming to an end, and will review the situation on 7 May. As such there is now a de facto extension for all deadlines on or after 24 March until Thursday 21 May.
Rightsholders, applicants and opponents can now breathe a sigh of relief that the UKIPO has followed the EUIPO and EPO (as reported in our recent article) in extending deadlines. What remains to be seen, however, is the extent to which they may need to be extended again.
We reviewed the situation on 17 April and, due to continuation of the current government restrictions to combat the Coronavirus outbreak and disruption to our customers normal operating, we have decided to continue with the period of interruption.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-important-update-on-ipo-services
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