The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is offering limited relief to patent and trademark applicants affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by waiving the fee for filing a petition to revive an abandoned patent or trademark application.  Under an official notice issued by the USPTO, the office is considering the effects of the coronavirus to be “an extraordinary situation” justifying the waiver of fees.  Deadlines and other requirements set by statute remain in force, but the USPTO is lowering the financial costs for reviving a patent or trademark application that went abandoned when a deadline was missed.  Additionally, the USPTO is waiving the requirement for an original handwritten signature in the few instances where the office requires one.
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