37 CFR § 3.31 — Cover sheet content. (MPEP Coverage Index) – BlueIron IP
37 CFR § 3.31 Cover sheet content.
This page consolidates MPEP guidance interpreting 37 CFR § 3.31, including 36 rules from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.
Summary
The USPTO requires a comprehensive cover sheet for recording patent and trademark assignments, detailing specific transactional and party information.
What this section covers
- Mandatory information requirements for patent and trademark assignment cover sheets
- Specific details necessary when submitting an assignment document for recording
Key obligations
- Identify the party conveying the intellectual property interest
- Provide complete name and address of the party receiving the intellectual property interest
- Accompany each assignment document with a single, comprehensive cover sheet
Practice notes
- Ensure all required fields are completely and accurately completed to prevent processing delays
- Carefully verify that the cover sheet correctly references the specific patent applications or trademarks
Official MPEP § 3.31 — Cover sheet content.
Source: USPTOLast Modified: 10/30/2024 08:50:22
3.31 Cover sheet content.
- (a) Each patent or trademark cover sheet required by
§
3.28
must contain:
- (1) The name of the party conveying the interest;
- (2) The name and address of the party receiving the interest;
- (3) A description of the interest conveyed or transaction to be recorded;
- (4) Identification of the interests
involved:
- (i) For trademark assignments and trademark name changes: Each trademark registration number and each trademark application number, if known, against which the Office is to record the document. If the trademark application number is not known, a copy of the application or a reproduction of the trademark must be submitted, along with an estimate of the date that the Office received the application; or
- (ii) For any other document affecting title to a trademark or patent application, registration or patent: Each trademark or patent application number or each trademark registration number or patent against which the document is to be recorded, or an indication that the document is filed together with a patent application;
- (5) The name and address of the party to whom correspondence concerning the request to record the document should be mailed;
- (6) The date the document was executed;
- (7) The signature of the party submitting the
document. For an assignment document or name change filed
electronically, the person who signs the cover sheet must
either:
- (i) Place a symbol comprised of letters, numbers, and/or punctuation marks between forward slash marks ( e.g., /Thomas O’Malley III/) in the signature block on the electronic submission; or
- (ii) Sign the cover sheet using some other form of electronic signature specified by the Director.
- (8) For trademark assignments, the entity and citizenship of the party receiving the interest. In addition, if the party receiving the interest is a domestic partnership or domestic joint venture, the cover sheet must set forth the names, legal entities, and national citizenship (or the state or country of organization) of all general partners or active members that compose the partnership or joint venture.
- (b) A cover sheet should not refer to both patents and trademarks, since any information, including information about pending patent applications, submitted with a request for recordation of a document against a trademark application or trademark registration will become public record upon recordation.
- (c) Each patent cover sheet required by §
3.28
seeking to record a governmental interest
as provided by §
3.11(b)
must:
- (1) Indicate that the document relates to a Government interest; and
- (2) Indicate, if applicable, that the document to be recorded is not a document affecting title (see § 3.41(b) ).
- (d) Each trademark cover sheet required by § 3.28 seeking to record a document against a trademark application or registration should include, in addition to the serial number or registration number of the trademark, identification of the trademark or a description of the trademark, against which the Office is to record the document.
- (e) Each patent or trademark cover sheet required by § 3.28 should contain the number of applications, patents or registrations identified in the cover sheet and the total fee.
- (f) Each trademark cover sheet should include the citizenship of the party conveying the interest.
- (g) The cover sheet required by §
3.28
seeking to record a joint research
agreement or an excerpt of a joint research agreement as provided by §
3.11(c)
must:
- (1) Identify the document as a “joint research agreement” (in the space provided for the description of the interest conveyed or transaction to be recorded if using an Office-provided form);
- (2) Indicate the name of the owner of the application or patent (in the space provided for the name and address of the party receiving the interest if using an Office-provided form);
- (3) Indicate the name of each other party to the joint research agreement party (in the space provided for the name of the party conveying the interest if using an Office-provided form); and
- (4) Indicate the date the joint research agreement was executed.
- (h) The assignment cover sheet required by § 3.28 for a patent application or patent will be satisfied by the Patent Law Treaty Model International Request for Recordation of Change in Applicant or Owner Form, Patent Law Treaty Model International Request for Recordation of a License/ Cancellation of the Recordation of a License Form, Patent Law Treaty Model Certificate of Transfer Form or Patent Law Treaty Model International Request for Recordation of a Security Interest/ Cancellation of the Recordation of a Security Interest Form, as applicable, except where the assignment is also an oath or declaration under § 1.63 of this chapter. An assignment cover sheet required by § 3.28 must contain a conspicuous indication of an intent to utilize the assignment as an oath or declaration under § 1.63 of this chapter.
[Added, 57 FR 29634, July 6, 1992, effective Sept. 4, 1992; para. (c) added, 62 FR 53132, Oct. 10, 1997, effective Dec. 1, 1997; paras. (a)-(b) revised, paras. (d)-(e) added, 64 FR 48900, Sept. 8, 1999, effective Oct. 30, 1999; para. (a)(7) deleted and para. (a)(8) redesignated as para. (a)(7), 67 FR 79520, Dec. 30, 2002, effective Dec. 30, 2002; paras. (a)(7) & (c)(1) revised and para. (f) added, 69 FR 29865, May 26, 2004, effective June 25, 2004; para (g) added, 70 FR 1818, Jan. 11, 2005, effective Dec. 10, 2004; para. (a)(7)(i) revised, 70 FR 56119, Sept. 26, 2005, effective Nov. 25, 2005; para. (a)(8) added and para. (f) revised, 73 FR 67759, Nov. 17, 2008, effective Jan. 16, 2009; para. (h) added, 77 FR 48776, Aug. 14, 2012, effective Sept. 16, 2012; para. (h) revised, 78 FR 62368, Oct. 21, 2013, effective Dec. 18, 2013]
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| MPEP Section | Rules |
|---|---|
| MPEP § 302 | |
| MPEP § 302.07 | |
| MPEP § 302.10 | |
| MPEP § 602.01(a) |