GB address for service for intellectual property rights from 1 January 2021

The rules governing address for service for intellectual property rights in the UK are changing. On 23 November 2020, the UKIPO confirmed that the intellectual property rights rules governing address for service for the UK, will come into force from 1 January 2021. The UK government web site goes on to state that the UKIPO will require an address for service in the UK, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands:

• For any new application for a patent, a trademark or a design filed at the UKIPO from 1 January 2021. This includes EP patents validated in the UK.
• If you wish to challenge or defend a patent, trademark or design in contentious proceedings at the UKIPO. More information can be found on the UKIPO’s website.

An address for service is an address used for correspondence with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and also for the purposes of proceedings under IP legislation. It is usually your address, or if you wish, you can provide the address of your attorney or representative. The transition period relating to the UK’s exit from the EU ends on the 31 December 2020.  Subject to legislative implementation, on 1 January 2021 the IPO’s rules on address for service will change. From 1 January 2021 it will be required to provide an address in the UK, Gibraltar or the Channel Islands before the UKIPO will be able to consider your application. The UKIPO will no longer accept addresses in the EEA. The changes will also affect other procedures relating to existing rights which are set out here. 

RWS can help. We have been providing this address for service facility for over 25 years; and have successfully managed the process for many of our customers. Our company head office is based in the UK and we can support you by registering RWS as the address for service for any granted European Patents for which you will need to receive correspondence to keep the patent in force. Our one-off fee covers registration (or re-registration) of our address as well as forwarding correspondence to an address of your choice for the lifetime of the patent. This change in legislation has no effect on our broad range of IP services and we are still able to arrange validation and/or address for service in all EPC states. To find out more please contact us by emailing us at: ipservices@rws.com