European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has extended the time limits for communication with applicants from Ukraine due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine which constitutes an exceptional occurrence that has severely hindered or interrupted communications.

On March 11, 2025, EUIPO Executive Director João Negrao signed Decision No. EX-25-02 on the extension of time limits for parties having their residence or registered office in Ukraine, for actions to be taken before the EUIPO on trademark and design applications or registrations, expiring between 17 March 2025 and 17 September 2025. The new deadline is September 18, 2025.

This decision continues previous EUIPO measures aimed at supporting Ukrainian applicants and rights holders due to the exceptional occurrence caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 on the European Union trademark, Council Regulation (EC) 6/2002 on Community designs, and Commission Regulation (EC) 2245/2002 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community designs.

It is worth noting that the EUIPO adopted a number of relevant decisions, which, starting from February 24, 2022, extended all time limits for Ukrainian applicants until March 17, 2025. EUIPO was also one of the first measures since the beginning of the full-scale war to terminate its cooperation with Rospatent, the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of Russia and the Eurasian Patent Office.

Ukrainian applicants and their representatives can take advantage of the extended time limits or perform the necessary procedural obligations earlier, in the usual manner.

Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of the UANIPIO, expressed his gratitude for the Ukrainian intellectual property system’s support:

“We are sincerely grateful to EUIPO and its Executive Director João Negrao for adopting this decision and for their ongoing support to Ukraine, both within our bilateral cooperation and through the EU4IP project. This assistance is invaluable for our applicants, as it ensures them proper protection and opportunities given the enormous challenges they face.”

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