1123 Rescission of a Nonpublication Request [R-07.2015]
35 U.S.C. 122 Confidential status of applications; publication of patent applications
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- (b) PUBLICATION.—
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- (2) EXCEPTIONS.—
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- (B)
- (i) If an applicant makes a request upon filing, certifying that the invention disclosed in the application has not and will not be the subject of an application filed in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires publication of applications 18 months after filing, the application shall not be published as provided in paragraph (1).
- (ii) An applicant may rescind a request made under clause (i) at any time.
- (iii) An applicant who has made a request under clause (i) but who subsequently files, in a foreign country or under a multilateral international agreement specified in clause (i), an application directed to the invention disclosed in the application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office, shall notify the Director of such filing not later than 45 days after the date of the filing of such foreign or international application. A failure of the applicant to provide such notice within the prescribed period shall result in the application being regarded as abandoned.
- (iv) If an applicant rescinds a request made under clause (i) or notifies the Director that an application was filed in a foreign country or under a multilateral international agreement specified in clause (i), the application shall be published in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1) on or as soon as is practical after the date that is specified in clause (i).
- (v) If an applicant has filed applications in one or more foreign countries, directly or through a multilateral international agreement, and such foreign filed applications corresponding to an application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office or the description of the invention in such foreign filed applications is less extensive than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office, the applicant may submit a redacted copy of the application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office eliminating any part or description of the invention in such application that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications filed in a foreign country. The Director may only publish the redacted copy of the application unless the redacted copy of the application is not received within 16 months after the earliest effective filing date for which a benefit is sought under this title. The provisions of section 154(d) shall not apply to a claim if the description of the invention published in the redacted application filed under this clause with respect to the claim does not enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the subject matter of the claim.
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37 CFR 1.213 Nonpublication request.
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- (b) The applicant may rescind a nonpublication request at any time. A
request to rescind a nonpublication request under paragraph (a) of this section
must:
- (1) Identify the application to which it is directed;
- (2) State in a conspicuous manner that the request that the application is not to be published under 35 U.S.C. 122(b) is rescinded; and
- (3) Be signed in compliance with § 1.33(b).
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An applicant may rescind a previously-filed nonpublication request at any time. See 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(ii). Form PTO/SB/36 (revision April 2001 or later) may be used to both rescind a nonpublication request and provide notice of foreign filing. The form is reproduced in MPEP § 1135. If applicant makes a nonpublication request under 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(i) and then rescinds the nonpublication request before or on the date a foreign or international application (hereinafter “foreign filing” or “counterpart application”) directed to the invention disclosed in the U.S. application filed under 37 CFR 1.111(a)) in the USPTO is filed in a foreign country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires eighteen-month publication, the nonpublication request under 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(i) will be treated as annulled and the application will be treated as if the nonpublication request was never made. Thus, if applicant filed a nonpublication request and then decided to file a counterpart application, applicant must file either: (1) a request to rescind the nonpublication request before filing the counterpart application; or (2) a notice of foreign filing no later than 45 days after the filing date of the counterpart application, to avoid abandonment of the application (35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(iii) and 37 CFR 1.213(c)).
The mere filing of a request under 37 CFR 1.213(b) to rescind the previously filed nonpublication request does not comply with the notice of foreign filing requirement of 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(iii) and 37 CFR 1.213(c) (for applicants who submitted a nonpublication request but before filing the request to rescind, also filed a counterpart application in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires eighteen-month publication of applications). Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a notice of foreign filing whenever rescinding a nonpublication request in anticipation of filing a counterpart application in an eighteen-month publication country. Form PTO/SB/36 (revision April 2001 or later) provides both a rescission and notice of foreign filing. See MPEP § 1135. No benefit can be given to a certificate of mailing or transmission under 37 CFR 1.8 on a request to rescind a nonpublication request in determining whether there has been a rescission of a nonpublication request before or on the date a counterpart application is filed in an eighteen-month publication country. A rescission of a nonpublication request is not a paper required to be filed in the USPTO as provided for in 37 CFR 1.8(a). Thus, the provisions of 37 CFR 1.8 by their terms do not apply in this situation, and the USPTO must use the actual date of receipt in the USPTO as defined in 37 CFR 1.6 as the date of the rescission to determine whether the nonpublication request has been rescinded before or on the date of the filing of a counterpart application such that the application may be considered an application in which no nonpublication request under 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(i) was made. Since a notice of foreign filing is required by the statute and 37 CFR 1.215(c), the benefit of a certificate of mailing or transmission under 37 CFR 1.8 will be given to a notice of foreign filing.
After either a rescission of a nonpublication request or a notice of foreign filing is received by the Office, the Office will enter the rescission or notice of foreign filing into the Office Pre-Examination System to schedule the application for publication. A notice (e.g., a “Notice Regarding Rescission Of Nonpublication Request and Notice of Foreign Filing”) should be sent to inform the applicant of the projected publication date. The application will be published promptly after the expiration of a period of 18 months from the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought under title 35, United States Code, or as soon as practicable after mailing this notice. See 35 U.S.C. 122(b)(2)(B)(iv).
An applicant should not rescind a nonpublication request or provide a notice of foreign filing unless a nonpublication request was actually made, because filing a rescission when one is not needed leads to a waste of Office resources and may delay prosecution in the application. Furthermore, filing a rescission of a nonpublication request where a nonpublication request was not originally made may result in a reduction to any patent term adjustment under 35 U.S.C. 154(b).
