Republic of Korea

●April 28　Source: www.kipo.go.kr

Joining a nationwide effort to limit the spread and impact of the Covid-19, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced measures to support its applicants and users in South Korea affected by the Covid-19.

According to the announcement, the measures include a grant of deadline extension for applicants who have failed to comply with the statutory time limits for submitting documents or paying fees to KIPO, for any reasons relating to the coronavirus. Affected applicants will be asked to submit a relief measure request or a statement of payment, together with an explanatory statement and evidential materials.

KIPO also asks its customers to use its online services and phone interviews and avoid making physical visits to examiners and/or administrative judges, to prevent a possible spread of the coronavirus.

Due to the domestic and international spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), there are concerns that applicants in the process of patents, utility models, designs and/or trademarks may not be able to abide the specified periods designated by the KIPO Commissioner, etc. as indicated in related legislations. As such, if the designated periods, enumerated in the appendix, ends on a date between March 31, 2020 – April 29, 2020, the deadline of such periods according to Article 15(2) of the Patent Act, Article 3 of the Utility Model Act (Article 15(2) of the Patent Act shall apply mutatis mutandis), Article 17(2) of the Design Protection Act and Article 17(2) of the Trademark Act will be ex-officio extended until April 30, 2020.

As such, if the designated periods, enumerated in the appendix, ends on a date between April 30, 2020 - May 30, 2020, the deadline of such periods according to Article 15(2) of the Patent Act, Article 3 of the Utility Model Act (Article 15(2) of the Patent Act shall apply mutatis mutandis), Article 17(2) of the Design Protection Act and Article 17(2) of the Trademark Act will be ex-officio extended until May 31,2020.