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ARTICLE · 12 MAY 2020

COVID-19 – Trade mark office practice update

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How has the coronavirus outbreak affected the Australian & NZ trade mark operations?

AustraliaIntellectual Property
Sean McManis
Sean McManis
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Australia

The Australian Trade Marks Office's operations have been largely unaffected by the coronavirus outbreak. Processing and examination timeframes have not been significantly impacted, and the day-to-day operations of the Office remain, for the most part, unchanged.

The Australian Office has very recently implemented a process for granting free three months extensions of time in instances where COVID has led to delays. However, these extensions need to be applied for according to the guideline issued, which requires a declaration concerning the impact of the virus on the applicant. Further, they are not currently available for the following trade mark deadlines:

  • Renewals (although the usual grace period is still available)

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Shelston IP ranked one of Australia's leading Intellectual Property firms in 2015.

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