IPVN Announcement: New Guidelines on Response Deadlines for Digitally Signed IP Examination Documents and Late Deliveries

Starting from January 1, 2025, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IPVN) sends all administrative documents related to industrial property (IP) applications in electronic form via e-mail. Paper copies are only sent if the applicant has no registered e-mail address or the e-mail delivery is unsuccessful.

To clarify how response deadlines are determined for these documents, IPVN has provided the following guidelines:

1. For digitally signed documents sent successfully via e-mail:

The response deadline is calculated from the date of digital signature on the document.

2. For documents sent late due to technical issues:

If the document is delivered later than the signing date—leading to a shortened or expired response period—the deadline will instead be counted from the actual sending date:

• For electronic documents: the date the e-mail was sent
• For paper documents: the postmark date on the envelope

In these cases, applicants should provide a brief explanation and supporting evidence (e.g., screenshot of the e-mail or original envelope with postmark) when submitting documents to IPVN.

This update helps ensure fairness for applicants in cases where there are delays in document delivery.

Read the full official announcement here: https://ipvietnam.gov.vn/…