The entry into force of the Decision of EUIPO Executive Director No EX-20-9 will bring an important change to the Office’s official means of communication.
Fax will no longer be a means to communicate with the EUIPO from 1 March 2021.
The decision has been driven by the fact that fax is no longer reliable from a technical point of view, and the aim is to provide state-of-the-art communication tools to users.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office will be in touch with its customers that still use fax to make sure they are aware of this change and to help them get used to the alternative means of communication available to them, if necessary. If personalised support is needed, users can call on +34 965 139 100.
From the User Area customers can already communicate with the Office 100% electronically.
- Thee-Replybuttonisavailableinalle-communications sent by the Office where a reply is permitted.
- The Fax Alternative option, set up to help our customers during the COVID-19 lockdown, is available in the Communication tab of the User Area for cases of technical difficulty with the e-Reply buttons.
In addition, EUIPO is working on a file-sharing option as a fall- back solution in case of a lack of connection with the Office systems. Technical details on these back-up solutions (fax alternative and file-sharing) will be available in the ‘conditions of use’ of each option.
Finally, postal mail will continue to be an accepted means of communication with the Office.
Users should only use Fax Alternative in case of technical difficulty with the established e-communication options, if those options are unsuitable for the relevant request or if the e-communication received from the Office has no e-Reply button.
