Takeaway: CARES Act affords USPTO and Register of Copyrights the ability to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on intellectual property owners.
On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by unanimous consent. The CARES Act grants “emergency relief authority” to the USPTO Director and the Register of Copyrights for a limited amount of time amidst the global health crisis. The Act allows the USPTO Director the ability to temporarily “toll, waive, adjust, or modify, any timing deadline” to minimize the impact to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act also grants the Register of Copyrights the ability to temporarily “toll, waive, adjust, or modify any timing provision” under copyright law. These new powers will aid in reducing the impact of COVID-19 on intellectual property owners.
