Days Off in Russia Extended

In an attempt to delay the spread of the coronavirus, the Russian president decreed an extension from April 2 until April 30 to the stretch of national non-working days declared earlier from March 30 to April 3.

Most enterprises and their employees are obligated to observe strict quarantine measures. The days off are not applied to infrastructural businesses and services enumerated in the decree.

Currently, the Russian Patent and Trademark Office (Rospatent) and the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) are working moderately remotely, accepting incoming documents filed through their custom electronic systems. Payments of official fees are also accepted in the normal manner. The date of receiving a document via the portal is recorded as the actual date the document was accepted. However, initially the EAPO and later Rospatent confirmed that all due dates falling in said period, would be automatically extended to the next working day (May 6).

Before today’s decision, most hearings in Russian courts were suspended until April 10, and the suspension is now automatically prolonged until the first working day in May. Hearings at Rospatent’s Chamber for Patent Disputes were suspended between March 30 and April 5. After that, they were reopened and will be held remotely as teleconferences.

Sojuzpatent remains ready to assist our clients. Most operations are conducted remotely through secure communication channels. We are delivering electronic documents and making payments of official fees to the patent offices without interruption and on time.

This information is periodically updated as new data becomes available.