In April we shared an update regarding the Australian Patent & Trade Marks Office’s (IP Australia) announcement that they would offer customers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak with free three month extensions of time on most deadlines.
At the time they stated that waiving of extension of time fees would be in place until at least 31 May 2020.
Today, IP Australia released an update confirming that they will continue to offer free extensions of time (EOT) until 30 June 2020.
This is a temporary support initiative and its continuation will be regularly reviewed by the office, who have said they will provide at least one week’s notice before the EOT measures are ended. There are also some periods that cannot be extended under the current legislation, either by streamlined or ordinary extensions.
Please visit the IP Australia website for more information on their EOT measures.
If you require any assistance in seeking extensions then please contact one of our Australian attorneys at mail@mbip.com.au.
25 June 2020 EDIT, PLEASE NOTE: Since this post, IP Australia have advised that streamlined extensions will now be available untill 31 July 2020. They are regularly reviewing the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and will assess whether streamlined extensions will be continued beyond 31 July 2020.