What is the difference between withdrawing an appeal and abandoning an application?
Withdrawing an appeal and abandoning an application are two distinct actions with different consequences. According to MPEP 1215.02:
“If an application contains allowed claims, as well as claims on appeal, the withdrawal of the appeal does not operate as an abandonment of the application”
Withdrawing an appeal only affects the appealed claims and does not impact allowed claims or the overall status of the application. In contrast, abandoning an application would end the entire patent prosecution process for all claims. It’s important to note that withdrawing an appeal for some claims while having other claims allowed keeps the application active.
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