UKIPO brings ‘interrupted days’ to an end
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will bring the ‘interrupted days’ period, which was put in place to help tackle COVID-19 disruption, to an end on July 29.
Announced yesterday, June 22, the news follows the IPO’s most recent review into its operations during the crisis. The concept of ‘interrupted days’—a day in which the normal course of business at the IPO is not possible—was introduced in late March.
At the time, the office had declared that March 24, and any subsequent days until further notice, were ‘interrupted days’, meaning that any deadlines for patents, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks, designs, and applications for these rights, would be extended until the end of the period.
Thursday, July 30 will be the first normal day of operation, with all ‘interrupted days’ deadlines expiring. This brings to an end four months of ‘interrupted days’.
Tim Moss, CEO of the IPO, said: “We recognise that our customers will be facing challenges for some time to come and will naturally look to us to provide flexibility and support.
“Five weeks’ notice before ending ‘interrupted days’ is one of the practical measures we are implementing. It will give businesses time to plan and help them to maintain their valuable IP.”
The office will also continue to look at putting in place measures that will “ease burdens on business following the end of the period of interruption”. This includes seeking parliamentary approval to enable the temporary removal of fees for requests of extensions.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox.
Today’s top stories
Rolex secures ‘Mariner’ TM win against rival in Singapore
