EXCO/FR22/RES/007 

STRENGTHENING THE PRACTICE OF THE INDEPENDENT IP ATTORNEY 

www.ficpi.org

 

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Resolution of the World Congress and Executive Committee 

Cannes, France, 25 to 29 September 2022 
“

Flexible approach for missed deadlines and other mistakes

” 

 

FICPI

, the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys, broadly representative 

of the free profession throughout the world, assembled at its World Congress and Executive 
Committee held in Cannes, France, 25 to 29 September 2022, passed the following resolution: 

NOTING

 

that during the Covid-19 pandemic, IP Offices granted extensions of time and/or 

reinstated IP rights more flexibly than before; 

OBSERVING

 that the uncertainty created by the premature termination of IP rights reduces 

the incentive to use the IP system;  

BELIEVING 

that termination of an IP right on the basis of unintentionally missing a deadline or 

any other unintentional mistake is a disproportionate penalty; 

FURTHER CONSIDERING 

our previous resolutions urging more lenient rules and practice in 

this respect, such as “PLT Relief and Reinstatement Measures”

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, “Standard for Re-

establishment of Rights”

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, “Reinstatement of Rights in Industrial Designs”

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, “Restoration of 

priority rights”

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, and “PCT National Phase Requirements”

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;

 

RECOGNISING 

that provisions on re-establishment of rights are generally subject to conditions 

that safeguard the legitimate interests of third parties;

 

URGES 

IP Offices

 

to adopt a comparable flexible approach as applied during the Covid-19 

pandemic, and therefore apply the available legal provisions to the greatest possible extent in 
favour of the granting of extensions of time limits and  re-establishment  of rights, whilst 

 

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 EXCO-DE10-RES-002 

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 EXCO- ZA11-RES-002 

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 EXCO- IT11-RES-003 

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 EXCO-IT13-RES-001 

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 EXCO-CA18-RES-002 

 

“

Flexible approach for missed deadlines and other mistakes”

 

 

EXCO/FR22/RES/007 

STRENGTHENING THE PRACTICE OF THE INDEPENDENT IP ATTORNEY 

www.ficpi.org

 

2

 / 

2

 

 

 

applying only reasonable sanctions and taking into account the legitimate interests of third 
parties; 

 

FURTHER URGES 

that, if necessary, laws,  regulations  and guidelines are  amended  to 

implement  such a comparable flexible approach, including by implementing the 
“unintentional standard” for re-establishment.