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IP Legal Bulletin
Short notes on rule changes at patent and trade mark offices: laws, fees, procedures, deadlines and funding calls. Every note links to its official source, and past issues stay in the archive.
- Information, not legal advice
- Written with AI assistance, checked automatically against the source
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Offices followed: 14 (EPO, EUIPO, EU, UKIPO, DPMA (Germany), IGE (Switzerland), PRV (Sweden), PRH (Finland), Patentamt (Austria), IPOI (Ireland), USPTO, TIPO (Taiwan), WIPO, IPONZ (New Zealand)). · 29 coming soon
Issue of 15 June 2026
3 notes
- EPOProcedure
Central Fee Payment: refunds can now be claimed without a refund code
The EPO deployed a new release of its Central Fee Payment service on 17 June 2026. Users of MyEPO Portfolio can now claim refunds directly in the service under Refunds, Claim refund without refund code. An extra step was added to the login process to strengthen security, and the display of credit card information in the fee order history changed.
Published by the source on 17 June 2026
- USPTOProcedure
USPTO to require U.S. counsel for applicants domiciled outside the U.S
The USPTO is updating the Rules of Practice in Patent Cases. Patent applicants and patent owners whose domicile is not in the U.S. or its territories must be represented by a registered patent practitioner.
Published by the source on 17 June 2026
- USPTOCase law
USPTO designates informative decision on discretionary denial and U.S. manufacturing
The USPTO designated as informative a Director decision in Tesla v. Bulletproof Property Management. The Director declined to discretionarily deny institution where the parallel district court trial date was vacated, the petitioner submitted a broad stipulation, showed an apparent Office error, and brought an early challenge. Evidence of U.S. manufacturing specific to the accused products also weighed against denial.
Published by the source on 17 June 2026
Notes are written with the help of artificial intelligence from the offices’ official sources, and each note is checked automatically against its source before it appears. Our editors review and correct them. Every note links to its source. Information, not legal advice.
Archive
Past issues, newest first.
- Issue of 9 November 20263 notes
- Issue of 2 November 20266 notes
- Issue of 26 October 20262 notes
- Issue of 19 October 20261 note
- Issue of 12 October 20262 notes
- Issue of 28 September 20267 notes
- Issue of 14 September 20262 notes
- Issue of 7 September 20262 notes
- Issue of 31 August 20261 note
- Issue of 24 August 20264 notes
- Issue of 17 August 20262 notes
- Issue of 10 August 20264 notes
- Issue of 3 August 20261 note
- Issue of 27 July 20263 notes
- Issue of 20 July 20264 notes
- Issue of 13 July 20266 notes
- Issue of 6 July 20261 note
- Issue of 29 June 20263 notes
- Issue of 22 June 20265 notes
- Issue of 8 June 20266 notes
- Issue of 1 June 20265 notes
- Issue of 25 May 20262 notes
- Issue of 18 May 20261 note
- Issue of 11 May 20261 note
Offices coming soon
These offices are declared and will be followed as soon as their official source can be read automatically. Their notes are not in the bulletin yet.
Europe
- UPCEurope (UPC states)
- MIMIT (Italy)Italy
- OEPM (Spain)Spain
- DKPTO (Denmark)Denmark
- Patentstyret (Norway)Norway
- BOIP (Benelux)Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
- UPRP (Poland)Poland
- IPO CZ (Czechia)Czechia
- INPI (Portugal)Portugal
- TURKPATENT (Türkiye)Türkiye
- Rospatent (Russia)Russia
Asia
- JPO (Japan)Japan
- KIPO (Korea)South Korea
- CNIPA (China)China
- CGPDTM (India)India
- IPD (Hong Kong)Hong Kong
- IP VietnamVietnam
- IPOPHL (Philippines)Philippines
- DIP (Thailand)Thailand
- DGIP (Indonesia)Indonesia
- MyIPO (Malaysia)Malaysia
- ILPO (Israel)Israel
- SAIP (Saudi Arabia)Saudi Arabia
International
- EAPOEurasia
- OAPIAfrica (member states)
- GCC Patent OfficeGulf Cooperation Council
Other
- IP AustraliaAustralia
- INPI (Brazil)Brazil
- CIPC (South Africa)South Africa
Also watched, with nothing relevant lately: INPI (France), IPOS (Singapore), ARIPO, CIPO (Canada), IMPI (Mexico).