The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO“) recently elected to abandon its practice of allowing third parties, such as applicants and agents, to send correspondence and documents through regional counters, considered until now as “Designated Establishments”.

This change will be effective August 16, 2021.

Until now, those who needed to exchange with CIPO otherwise than by fax or electronically, could avoid having to resort to mailing stuff, by visiting a counter in certain major Canadian cities (e.g. Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, etc.), in order to hand-in their documents. This will no longer be possible, once this change comes into effect.

This may happen, for example, to documents and evidence to be submitted in opposition or Section 45 proceedings which may not be sent by fax, due to the limitations of this antiquated technology. From now, if it gets to that, CIPO will expect use of registered mail or the like to send-in your documents.

On the bright side, CIPO is providing us with more and more links and forms which may now be used to communicate electronically and, hopefully, having to resort to obsolete means such as the fax and the mail.