The ink was not even dry on the update regarding Russia-related IP issues that we published last week, when we learned of two more major developments.
The USPTO recently issued the following statement on engagement with Russia, the Eurasian Patent Organization and Belarus:
Per guidance issued by the U.S. Department of State, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has terminated engagement with officials from Russia’s agency in charge of intellectual property, the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (commonly known as Rospatent), and with the Eurasian Patent Organization. The USPTO has also terminated engagement with officials from the national intellectual property office of Belarus. Like so many, we are deeply saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine. We hope for the restoration of peace and human dignity.
Effective March 11, 2022, the USPTO will no longer grant requests to participate in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) at the USPTO when such requests are based on work performed by Rospatent as an Office of Earlier Examination under the GPPH. In addition, in pending cases in which, prior to March 11, 2022, the USPTO granted special status under the GPPH to applications based on work performed by Rospatent, the USPTO will remove that status and return those applications to the regular processing and examination queue, meaning that they will no longer be treated as GPPH applications at the USPTO.
Read the full legal update, “Authorization of certain IP-related transactions in Russia.”
