MPEP § 1878.01(a)(3) — Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report (Annotated Rules)

§1878.01(a)(3) Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report

USPTO MPEP version: BlueIron's Update: 2025-12-31

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 1878.01(a)(3), including statutory authority, regulatory rules, examiner guidance, and practice notes. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.

Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report

This section addresses Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report.

Key Rules

Topic

Patent Cooperation Treaty

2 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-1878-01-a-3-a98a94261d89b331db833c8b]
Industrial Applicability Defined for Written Opinion and IP Report
Note:
PCT Article 33(4) defines industrial applicability requirements for the Written Opinion and International Preliminary Examination Report.

Industrial applicability is defined in PCT Article 33(4).

Jump to MPEP SourcePatent Cooperation TreatyArticle 34 AmendmentsInternational Preliminary Examination (Chapter II)
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-1878-01-a-3-12dee872dcb9c1898cdab43c]
Requirement for Written Opinion of International Searching Authority
Note:
This rule requires the written opinion of the International Searching Authority to be prepared in accordance with PCT Rule 43bis.1(b).

The above provisions apply mutatis mutandis to the written opinion of the International Searching Authority. See PCT Rule 43bis.1(b).

Jump to MPEP SourcePatent Cooperation TreatyArticle 34 AmendmentsInternational Preliminary Examination (Chapter II)
Topic

International Searching Authority (ISA)

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-1878-01-a-3-8ab8a59ee52fe605676a0323]
Written Opinion Requirement for ISA
Note:
The rule states that the provisions apply to the written opinion of the International Searching Authority, following similar requirements.

The above provisions apply mutatis mutandis to the written opinion of the International Searching Authority. See PCT Rule 43bis.1(b).

Jump to MPEP SourceInternational Searching Authority (ISA)Written Opinion of ISAInternational Search

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Patent Cooperation TreatyPCT Article 33(4)
International Searching Authority (ISA)
Patent Cooperation Treaty
PCT Rule 43bis.1(b)

Source Text from USPTO’s MPEP

This is an exact copy of the MPEP from the USPTO. It is here for your reference to see the section in context.

BlueIron Last Updated: 2025-12-31