Originally published on May 14, 2020

Last updated on August 20, 2020

On August 19, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) announced an additional extension of designated days and now all deadlines falling between March 16 and August 28, 2020 have been automatically extended until August 31, 2020.

This additional extension is due to a planned interruption of CIPO's online and fax services scheduled from August 21, 2020 at 7 p.m. to August 23, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CIPO is instituting this extension to provide additional flexibility to its clients.

As we approach the end of this period of designated days, CIPO remains open for business and its staff are working to alleviate backlogs caused by COVID-19 restrictions. As we noted in our report of March 24, it is as important as ever to have new trademark applications filed expeditiously, especially when filing via Madrid. However, help has been announced for users who miss deadlines for sending communications to the World Intellectual Property Organization because of COVID-19, as noted in our report of April 22.

Our IP Team at Gowling WLG is monitoring the situation and will continue to keep you informed as further developments arise. In these exceptional circumstances, all Gowling WLG clients can continue to expect to receive the same high level of service and our team remains fully available to address your needs, including those related to COVID-19.

If you have any questions as to how this CIPO notice impacts your IP portfolio in Canada, please contact your Gowling WLG professional. For other COVID-19 related resources, please visit our COVID-19 resource hub, which is continuously being updated with new information to help you and your business during this time.