COVID-19 Update – Canadian Intellectual Property Office Extends Deadline to May 1

Dear Clients,

Further to our earlier communication concerning the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) extending deadlines to April 1, 2020, we report that due to the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19, CIPO has now announced that April 1, 2020 through to April 30, 2020, will also be designated those days under the Patent Act, Trademarks Act and Industrial Design Act as a day where any time period ending on one of those dates is extended to the next day. This means that, effectively, any deadlines for Canadian applications falling within that period are extended to May 1, 2020. Further details can be found in CIPO’s Important update on CIPO operations and services.

We continue to ask to please use electronic mail. We want to ensure the timely processing of your instructions and payments. Please do not follow up with confirmation paper copies by mail or courier unless we require an original document. We will advise when an original is needed. To make a payment by bank transfer or credit card, please click here for instructions.

We will continue to watch the situation with CIPO closely and if there are any further changes to its operations and services, we will let you know.

In the meantime, we wish all of our clients and colleagues, their families and friends to stay safe during these times.

Stephen Beney
Managing Partner