Taiwan Intellectual Property Office Announced a Contingency Plan for Patent and Trademark Applications due to the emergent Covid-19 outbreak 

1. Due to the rapid development of Covid-19 pandemic, the following Interim Guidance will be implemented when Taipei, where TIPO head office is situated, is elevated to level 4 alert stage and a citywide suspension of onsite working is activated by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).  

·         If either a statutory time or a designated time expires during the suspension of onsite working, the applicant is entitled to reinstate the expired matter, by accomplishing necessary actions, within 30 days from the deactivation of suspension, as per the Force Majeure Clause in Patent Act or Trademark Act. No evidence in support of such a delay non-attributable to the applicant is required.

·         The TIPO’s Taipei head office will stop any physical receipt or dispatchment of documents. If the cities or counties where TIPO’s satellite offices locate do not suspend onsite working and thus the satellite office operates as normal, the applicant may continue to file applications in paper. The filing date is the stamping date or the office's date of receipt.

·         The TIPO's electronic filing and delivery system shall remain fully operational online. A document will be deemed duly served when the applicant (including his service agent) signs electronically. However, when the electronic system malfunctions thus interrupting normal services, responding approaches will follow.

2. if applicants or attorneys locate in other cities or counties which also suspend onsite working, their cases will in principle be dealt with in accordance with the Interim Guidance aforementioned.

3. When cities or counties other than Taipei also suspend onsite working due to CECC's order to elevate level 4 alert stage or due to local authorities' own decisions, patent and trademark applications will be dealt with in accordance with the Interim Guidance aforementioned.

Tsai, Lee & Chen assures all our clients and collaborative partners that Tsai, Lee & Chen will be operating in a normal status even when the entire city is lockdown. We will endeavor to ensure that no matter is neglected or delayed due to the erratic Covid situation.