Last week, the United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Stimulus Bill. The Bill gives the USPTO the authority to “toll, waive, adjust, or modify, any timing deadline” as appropriate if the President’s declaration of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic “materially affects the functioning of the Patent and Trademark Office,” “prejudices the rights of applicants, registrants, patent owners, or others appearing before the Office,” or prevents users from filing a document or paying a fee timely. See Section 12004.
