Bangladesh - Closure of "mail box" route and rejection of mail box patent applications

As a “least developed country” under the TRIPS Agreement, Bangladesh was granted leave to delay examining applications relating to pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical products until 2033. To date, such patent applications have therefore been filed as "black box" or "mailbox" applications and then held in abeyance pending the commencement of this examination.

The Bangladeshi Patent Office has now issued a notification dated 18th September 2022 in which they announced the closure of the “mailbox” system and rejected all applications submitted via that system. Consequently, we regret to advise that any "mailbox" applications filed in Bangladesh have been rejected outright.