Directions: hours of business and excluded days
Published 17 February 2022
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Introduction
1. The registrar has made the following directions under section 39(1) of the Registered Designs Act 1949.
2. These directions come into force on 11 February 2022.
3. In accordance with section 12(8) of the Intellectual Property Act 2014, rules 45 and 46 of the Registered Designs Rules 2006 cease to be in force from the date these directions take effect.
Interpretation
4. In these directions:
‘the office’ means the Patent Office;
‘the Act’ means the Registered Designs Act 1949;
‘business’ means business transacted by the public under the Act or any class of such business;
‘excluded day’ means a day excluded for any such business or class of business;
‘application’ means an application for the registration of a design or designs made under the Act; and
‘forms’ means documents containing the information required by the relevant Designs Forms as set out in directions under section 31A of the Act.
Hours of business
5. The office shall be open at all times for the filing of applications which are not made by virtue of section 14 of the Act.
6. The office shall be open at all times on Monday to Friday for the filing applications made by virtue of section 14 of the Act, forms and other documents.
7. The office shall be open on Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm for all other types of business not detailed above.
8. The office shall be closed at all times except where these directions specify that the office is open.
Excluded days
9. The following shall be excluded days for all purposes under the Act, except for the filing of applications which are not made by virtue of section 14 of the Act:
(a) all Saturdays and Sundays;
(b) Good Friday and Christmas Day; and
(c) any day specified as or proclaimed to be a bank holiday by or under section 1 of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.
Natasha Chick
Divisional Director, acting on behalf of the registrar
10 February 2022