Urgent Australian weekend and public holiday filings

Article  \  15 May 2013

IP Australia have recently changed their eServices online filing system.  

Any patent, trade mark, design, or plant variety right application that we file using the eServices system will be given the date of submission as its filing date. 

IP Australia is closed for business on weekends and Australian public holidays.  However, an application filed on one of those days using the eServices system will be given a weekend or public holiday filing date.

We can use the eServices system to obtain the earliest filing date possible for date-critical applications that do not have a Paris Convention priority claim, even if that date falls on a weekend or Australian public holiday.

If you would like us to file an application on a weekend or public holiday, please give us advance notice.

Contacting us outside of normal business hours

If you need to contact us urgently outside of our normal business hours to file an Australian application on the weekend or on a public holiday, you should call your
AJ Park contact on their mobile phone. Mobile phone numbers for all partners, special counsel, and senior associates are listed on our people pages, here. Alternatively, you can call Alecia Hansen from our international filing department on +64 275 253 242.

Normal business hours for our Wellington and Auckland offices are 8.30am - 5.00pm New Zealand time Monday to Friday. Normal business hours for our Sydney office are 9.00am - 6.00pm Sydney time Monday to Friday.   

We charge a surcharge for filing an Australian application on a weekend or public holiday.

Weekend and public holiday deadlines

Despite the ability to file online with the eServices system, all internal IP Australia deadlines that fall on a weekend or public holiday automatically extend out to the next business day. This includes convention application deadlines and national phase entry deadlines. This means you do not need to file an application on a weekend or public holiday to meet a deadline that falls on a weekend or public holiday. But there could be benefit in filing a convention application on a weekend or public holiday to gain an early filing date if the convention application contains any new matter.

Please get in touch with your AJ Park contact if you have any questions.