UK Intellectual Property Office announces Address for Service rule change

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) last week announced an important change to its address for service rules.

Currently, the rules provide that a correspondence address location anywhere within the EEA is sufficient.

From 1 January 2021, IP owners will be required to provide a UK, Gibraltar or Channel Islands address for new applications, hearings and contentious proceedings in relation to UK trade marks, designs and patents.

With respect to cloned UK trade mark and design right registrations which will come into existence on 1 January 2021, the owners will have until 31 December 2023 to provide a local address for service.

A link to the announcement is here.  

If you would like to any help with managing UK trade marks or wish to discuss this matter further, please get in touch.