Identification Of Affidavits/Declarations Filed Under 37 CFR 1.131 Which Establish A Date of Invention In A NAFTA or WTO Member Country 35 U.S.C. 104 was amended by Public Law 103-182 and 103-465 to permit applicant/patentee to establish a date of invention in a NAFTA country no earlier than December 8, 1993 and in a WTO member country no earlier than January 1, 1996, respectively. 37 CFR 1.131 was amended, effective May 31, 1995, to implement the changes made to 35 U.S.C. 104. In order to study the impact of the changes to 35 U.S.C. 104 and to track affidavits/declarations filed under 37 CFR 1.131 as a result of the changes to 35 U. S.C. 104, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Office) is requesting applicant/patentee to identify in the title of affidavits/declarations filed under 37 CFR 1.131 whether the affidavit/declaration is filed to establish a date of invention in a NAFTA country other than the U.S. or in a WTO member country other than a NAFTA country by providing the following: "131 N" - for NAFTA country other than the U.S.; and "131 W" - for WTO member country other than a NAFTA country. The Office is in the process of modifying the Patent Application Location and Monitoring system (PALM) to record the receipt of the types of affidavits/declarations filed under 37 CFR 1.131 identified supra. The new procedure for identifying affidavits/declarations filed under 37 CFR 1.131 of the "131 N" or "131 W" categories is effective immediately. Sept. 30, 1997 STEPHEN G. KUNIN Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patent Policy and Projects