Update: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, COVID-19 Developments

As an update to a blog entry on March 31, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has taken additional actions in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.  Pursuant to temporary authority provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the USPTO has extended various filing and fee payment deadlines for patent and trademark cases (due dates between March 27 and May 31) to June 1, 2020.  This is in addition to the prior extension the USPTO had announced on March 31, 2020.  Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, said, “Innovation and entrepreneurship will play a key role in our fight against this pandemic, and in the upcoming recovery of our country…. Accordingly, the USPTO continues to assess measures to support the work of inventors and entrepreneurs during this crisis and beyond.”  For more information about particular deadlines, feel free to speak to one of the Firm’s attorneys.