In an effort to improve efficiency of handling TM applications, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that, as of 3 December 2022, the deadline for responding to the majority of trade mark Office Actions will be reduced from six (6) to three (3) months. Yet, this will not impact Madrid Protocol Designations for which the deadline will remain six (6) months. Also, this new response period will not apply to post-registration office actions on December 3, 2022. Changes to the post-registration response period will be implemented on October 7, 2023. The USPTO’s announcement in full can be found here.
