The Polish Patent Office And E-Signatures

On 28 December 2022, the Polish Patent Office announced in line with the case law of the Polish Administrative Supreme Court that the following rules must be applied to all letters sent to the Patent Office starting 1 January 2023: (i) if the content of a pleading, statement or specific request is the content of a general letter (cover letter), then this letter should bear a qualified electronic signature, trusted signature or personal signature; and (ii) if the general pleading (cover letter) or a form dedicated to dealing with a specific type of case (e.g. forms intended for filing an application, opposition to an application for a trademark, application for an entry in the register) is accompanied by attachments (e.g. description of the invention, patent claims), they should be signed with a qualified electronic signature, trusted signature or personal signature.