Updates on Intellectual Property Office’s Operations During Enhanced Community Quarantine

Manual filing of documents with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and all hearings and mediation conferences, remain suspended until 15 May 2020. The IPOPHL electronic filing and payment system remains operational, but processing of documents filed online shall commence upon resumption of office by the IPOPHL.

Deadlines for papers, pleadings, documents and payments shall be extended as follows:

1. Those due from 16 March 2020 to 31 March 2020 may be filed until 31 May 2020.
2. Deadlines falling from 01 April 2020 to 15 May 2020 are extended for sixty (60) calendar days from their respective due dates.
3. New patent and trademark applications claiming priority date must be filed through the IPOPHL electronic filing system to comply with their prescribed periods for filing. However, payment of filing fees of such applications shall be extended for a period of sixty (60) calendar days from the online filing date.

Filings and proceedings in relation to the voluntary surrender of patents shall not be covered by the foregoing extension periods.

To expedite processing of applications for invention, utility model and industrial design pertaining to personal protective equipment (PPE), medical/health care equipment/devices, and pharmaceutical products urgently needed to contain and address the COVID-19 health situation, there is no suspension for the period of filing the written Third Party Observation (TPO) for inventions and Adverse Information (AI) on utility model and industrial design applications.

The following deadlines shall be observed:

1. For invention applications published starting 21 April 2020, the prescribed 6-month period from publication date shall apply.
2. For utility model and industrial design applications published starting 21 April 2020, the prescribed 30-day period from publication date shall apply.
3. Applications where the deadline for filing the TPO or AI falls within 16 March 2020 until 21 April 2020, the deadline shall be on 11 May 2020.
4. For those with deadlines failing due from 22 April 2020 until 30 April 2020, an extension of fifteen (15) calendar days from the prescribed due date shall be given.
5. The requirement on verification shall be waived for the purpose of submitting/filing AI but must be submitted within five (5) working days once IPOPHL resumes normal operations.

Throughout the ECQ, written TPO and AI may be submitted by email to bop@ipophil.gov.ph with the required evidence and supporting documents, using the prescribed template to facilitate the processing of the email submission.

Click here to read the entire text of IPO MC No. 2020-011.

To know more about deadlines for COVID-19-related patent applications, click here to read the entire text of IPO MC No. 2020-010.

This has been updated by the latest article on IPO's Modified Operations During the MECQ.