On April 3, 2024, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) updated the regulations on the Address for Service (AFS), which have been in effect since January 1, 2021.

According to the previous regulations, after the Brexit and the end of the transition period, UK trademark applications, oppositions, cancellations, invalidations, lawsuits, and other substantial cases related to intellectual property must provide an AFS address, which must be located in the UK, Channel Islands, or Gibraltar. If a UK trademark is subject to cancellation, invalidation, or other opposition measures, and the recorded AFS is not in the UK, the UKIPO will send a letter to the listed address and set a one-month deadline to provide a UK AFS. If the address is not provided within the deadline, the case will be treated as absent.

According to the newly released regulations, UKPIO will adopt a more proactive approach to ensure that trademark applications have provided a valid AFS address, including the establishment of a dedicated AFS review team and the introduction of new review mechanisms. If it is found, ex officio or upon complaint by a third party, that an application does not meet this requirement, it will be deemed withdrawn. Furthermore, if it is discovered that an application contains a false or misleading AFS address, it may be deemed malicious and rejected.