22 July 2021
Under the Thai Government’s latest Covid-19 prevention measures, private companies and government entities in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area and adjacent provinces must implement strict work-from-home measures for 14 days, with very limited exceptions, from July 20 to August 3 (subject to extension). During this period, the Thai Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) will temporarily close its physical receiving office and implement 100% online filing for all types of applications and requests.
In anticipation of a surge in use of the online filing system, the DIP will upgrade its IT infrastructure from 5.00 p.m. on Friday, July 23, to 4.00 a.m. of Tuesday, July 27 (note that July 26 is a government holiday), during which time the system will be offline. This means neither online nor physical filings will be accepted during this period. The DIP has not allowed extensions of time for due dates of trademark applications falling during this period.
If you have a due date that will fall within this period (including deadlines for responding to provisional refusals of International Trademark Registrations) please make sure to reach out to us by this Thursday, July 22, to ensure that your deadlines will be met.
While exceptions for late submissions caused by the government measures may be available, requests for such exceptions must be made in writing and accompanied by evidence, and will be granted or declined based on the Registrar’s final discretion. As such it is not recommended to rely on such exceptions unless absolutely necessary.
For further information, please contact:
Darani Vachanavuttivong, Partner, Tilleke & Gibbins
darani.v@tilleke.com
