October 4, 2019
The Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights (DGIP) recently notified a patent applicant with existing annuity debts that they will not process the application further until the applicant’s debts are settled. This follows the DGIP’s instruction to all patent holders to pay their annuity debts by August 16, 2019 (as reported by Tilleke & Gibbins in February of this year).