The Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam (IP Viet Nam) issued Notice No. 8181/TB-SHTT dated September 9, 2021 on the application of legal provisions on time limits for applicants affected by Covid-19 pandemic.

Notice on application of legal provisions on time limits for applicants affected by Covid-19 pandemic

The acute respiratory infection disease caused by a new strain of Corona virus (Covid-19 pandemic) continues to seriously affect all aspects of the socio-economic life of countries in the world in general and the activities of industrial property right acquisition in particular. Henceforth, with the aim of minimizing the inconvenience caused by the Covid-19 for applicants/owners in the procedures of acquiring industrial property rights, IP Viet Nam would like to inform as follows:

Time limits of all procedures related to industrial property right acquisition (requesting for priority right, supplementing documents, responding to IP Viet Nam decisions/notifications, renewal, pay any fee or charge, filing a complaint) expiring between June 30, 2021 and October 31, 2021 shall be automatically extended until the end of November 30, 2021.

In case that their proceedings for intellectual property right acquisition before IP Viet Nam are still affected by Covid-19 pandemic, the applicants have right to request the application of regulations on objective obstacles and force majeure specified at Points 9.4, 9.5 of Circular No. 01/2007/TT-BKHCN, as amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2016/ TT-BKHCN.

Notice No. 7581/TB-SHTT could be downloaded here

Source: The Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam