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Until 31 August 2020, those impacted by COVID-19 can obtain an extension-of-time of up to 3 months without having to pay Patent Office fees.

28 July 2020

IP Australia has announced that the streamlined process for extension-of-time requests to assist those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will now be further extended until 31 August 2020.

Those impacted by COVID-19 can obtain an extension-of-time of up to 3 months without having to pay Patent Office fees (usually AU$100/month).

The extensions are available for any COVID-19 related delay which impacts Applicants/Owners, their Attorneys/Representatives, and, other ‘relevant persons’.

The streamlined extensions are available to extend many time limits including, but not limited to, time limits for requesting examination and obtaining acceptance of a patent application. Notably however, the streamlined extensions are not available for payment of renewal/maintenance/continuation fees.

For periods longer than 3 months. Ordinary extensions-of-time remain available.

IP Australia have stated that they will continue to monitor the ongoing impact, and assess whether streamlined extensions will be provided beyond the end of June.

Halfords IP is continuing to provide uninterrupted Patent and Trade Mark services to all our clients during this time. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information or have any questions.

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