UKIPO affirms end of temporary fee cuts
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has affirmed that it will be ending its temporary fees period on March 31, introduced to support customers through the pandemic.
In July 2020, the IPO introduced a period of temporary fee changes related to patent, supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), trademark and registered design rights which offered lower payments, eliminated surcharges and waived late declaration and reapplication procedures.
Among these changes, the IPO eliminated the 25% surcharge for late payments of patent application fees and capped the fee for late renewal of trademarks at £1 ($1.39).
“The IPO has reassured customers that it will continue to take whatever measures it can to support rights applicants, rights holders and representatives who have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic,” the IPO said in a statement.
From March 31, the 25% surcharge fee for late payment of application fees will be reinstated and fees related to late declarations, late renewal payments and late SPC payments will be reintroduced.
Also, IPO customers will need to once again request to reinstate patent applications, apply to restore patents and request to extend a prescribed time limit.
For trademarks, late payments of renewal fees and requests to restore registered designs will be reintroduced.
The UKIPO was not the only regulator to ease commitments for customers during the pandemic. In June last year, the USPTO further extended fee payment deadlines to small businesses, despite fears that it would heavily impact the office’s bottom line.
Full details of the changes can be read here.
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