U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Extends Certain Response Deadlines

Pursuant to authority granted in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), on March 31, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued a notice extending the deadlines to file certain patent and trademark-related documents and fees, particularly those that would have been due on or between March 27 and April 30, 2020, if the stakeholder includes a statement that the “delay” is due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This Alert oulines the circumstances for seeking such relief for patent and trademark filings.

Patents

The deadlines for submitting responses or filings for many common patent-related actions due on or between March 27 and April 30, 2020, will be extended thirty (30) days from the initial date they were due, provided that the submissions are accompanied by statements that the “delay” in filing or payment was due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Among other deadlines, the extensions apply to replies to office actions, issue fees,