On April 28, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) further extended certain patent and trademark deadlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, for certain deadlines due between March 27, 2020 and May 31, 2020, the corresponding response or payment shall be considered timely if filed on or before June 1, 2020, provided that the filing is accompanied by a statement that the delay in filing or payment was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the new extension does not require that the filing or payment be within 30 days of the original due date, as was in the previous USPTO extension from March 31, 2020. Therefore, any filing or payment that was previously due on or after March 27, 2020, is now able to be filed or paid by June 1, 2020, and will not be held abandoned or expired, as long as the filing or payment contains a statement that the delay was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the complete list of patent-related filings that may receive an extension, please read the USPTO Patent CARES Act Notice. For the complete list of trademark-related filings that may receive an extension, please read the USPTO Trademark CARES Act Notice.
If you have any questions regarding whether you qualify for an extension, if your deadlines are extended, or any other intellectual property questions, please contact Daniel Sineway, Michael Nunnally, or any member of the Intellectual Property group at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.
