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Notice of 31 May 2016

in view of the earthquakes in the south-west region of Japan and their impact

In view of the earthquakes in the south-west region of Japan and their impact, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office draws attention to the following:

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office will take the current situation in Japan into account in managing IP procedures, within the scope of legal options.

This applies specifically to granting requests for the extension of time limits set by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office cannot extend time limits specified by law. However, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office draws attention to the option of re-establishment of rights. Any person who, owing to the current situation in Japan, has not observed a time limit imposed by law without any fault on his part can subsequently have their rights re-established upon request. They will then be in the same position as if they had observed the time limit. The unit in charge will check in the individual case whether the conditions are met.

Please refer to the relevant provisions in the individual IP laws for the detailed requirements and the scope of application of re-establishment of rights. The German texts are available at externer Link www.gesetze-im-internet.de.

The provisions concerning re-establishment of rights are set out for procedures

  • in patent matters in Section 123 of the German Patent Act (Patentgesetz)
  • in trade mark matters in Section 91 of the German Trade Mark Act (Markengesetz)
  • in design matters in Section 23(3), third sentence, of the German Design Act (Designgesetz) in conjunction with Section 123(1) to (5) and (7) of the Patent Act
  • in utility model matters in Section 21(1) of the German Utility Model Act (Gebrauchsmustergesetz) in conjunction with Section 123 of the Patent Act
  • in semiconductor matters in Section 11(1) of the German Semiconductor Protection Act (Halbleiterschutzgesetz) in conjunction with Section 123 of the Patent Act

Last updated: 23 December 2024