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A JPO Office Action, formally a Notice of Reasons for Rejection, gives foreign applicants a response period of 3 months from the delivery date.
This deadline can be extended upon request by the applicant.
On the other hand, in response to a Decision of Rejection, foreign applicants can file an appeal within 4 months and no extension of time is available.
Response to Office Actions at the Examination Stage
Foreign applicants can file a request for extension up to 2 times before the deadline.
The first request extends the deadline by 2 months, and the second request further extends the deadline by 1 month (3 months in total).
The two requests can be filed separately or concurrently.
The official fee is 2,100 JPY per request.
Even if the applicant misses the deadline, a request for extension of time can be filed within 2 months after the deadline. Upon this request, the initial deadline is extended by 2 months.
Please be careful that in a late filing of request, the applicant can file only a first request for a 2-month extension, and no second request is available.
Please also note that the official fee for a late filing is 51,000 JPY.
Response to a Decision of Rejection (filing an appeal)
The applicant can file an appeal against a Decision of Rejection within 4 months from the delivery date. This deadline is not extendable.
Extension at the Appeal Stage
Foreign applicants can file a request for extension up to 3 times before the deadline.
Each request extends the deadline by 1 month (up to 3 months).
The official fee is 2,100 JPY per request.
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