UKIPO extends ‘interrupted days’; Fed Circuit increases phone hearings
IP offices and courts around the world are updating measures aimed at minimising disruption as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will continue with its period of interruption, extending its concept of ‘interrupted days’ until May 28.
In late March, the office declared March 24, and subsequent days until further notice, as ‘interrupted days’, a day in which the normal course of business at the IPO isn’t possible.
Any deadlines for patents, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks, designs, and applications for these rights, will be extended until the end of the period.
Meanwhile, in the US, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has announced that all oral arguments will be held by phone next month.
“Given the continued public health restrictions and limits on public access to the courthouse, the court will also provide live audio access to such arguments,” said the Federal Circuit.
However, not every case that would have been heard in person has been conducted over the phone and some arguments have been cancelled, leaving the cases to be decided on the briefs.
Help for independent inventors
Late last week, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a COVID-19 prioritised examination pilot programme.
Under the pilot, the office will grant requests for prioritised examination to patent applicants that qualify for small or micro entity status without payment of the typical fees associated with other prioritised examination.
Andrei Iancu, director of the USPTO, said: “Independent inventors and small businesses are often the difference-makers when it comes to cutting-edge innovation and the growth of our economy.
“They are also in most need of assistance as we fight this pandemic. Accelerating examination of COVID-19-related patent applications, without additional fees, will permit such innovators to bring important and possibly life-saving treatments to market more quickly.”
The office will try to reach a final disposition of applications in this programme within six months.
IP Australia has released a package of patent information products to “help researchers and decision-makers identify know-how, supply and manufacturing capability in the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The office is providing six interactive visualisations on ventilators, masks, surgical gowns and goggles, vaccines, repurposed drugs and medical diagnostics to allow users to ‘drill down’ into the data and quickly identify applicants in specific technologies and different countries across the world.
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