How are plant patent applications handled if incorrectly routed?
Plant patent applications under 35 U.S.C. 161 are specifically handled as follows:
- All plant patent applications are assigned and examined in Art Unit (AU) 1661.
- If an application is accidentally routed to the wrong AU, it will be manually rerouted to OPAP for proper routing to AU 1661.
The MPEP states: All plant patent applications under 35 U.S.C. 161 are assigned and examined in Art Unit (AU) 1661. If an application is accidently routed to the AU which is not a plant application, the application will be manually rerouted to OPAP for routing to the appropriate AU.
(MPEP 909.02(d))
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