MPEP § 2602 — Citation of Prior Art (Annotated Rules)
§2602 Citation of Prior Art
This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2602, 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.
Citation of Prior Art
This section addresses Citation of Prior Art.
Key Rules
AIA Effective Dates
Citations of prior art continue to be allowed under 37 CFR 1.501. See MPEP §§ 2202 through 2206 and 2208 for the manner of making such citations and Office handling of the same. However, the Office does not accept requests for inter partes reexamination filed on or after September 16, 2012, and therefore any filed citation of prior art under 37 CFR 1.501 will only be processed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.902 in an inter partes reexamination request filed prior to September 16, 2012. See 37 CFR 1.913(b). Guidance on the former practice is available in revision 07.2022 of the 9 th Edition of the MPEP.
Citations of prior art continue to be allowed under 37 CFR 1.501. See MPEP §§ 2202 through 2206 and 2208 for the manner of making such citations and Office handling of the same. However, the Office does not accept requests for inter partes reexamination filed on or after September 16, 2012, and therefore any filed citation of prior art under 37 CFR 1.501 will only be processed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.902 in an inter partes reexamination request filed prior to September 16, 2012. See 37 CFR 1.913(b). Guidance on the former practice is available in revision 07.2022 of the 9 th Edition of the MPEP.
Citations
| Primary topic | Citation |
|---|---|
| AIA Effective Dates | 37 CFR § 1.501 |
| AIA Effective Dates | 37 CFR § 1.902 |
| AIA Effective Dates | 37 CFR § 1.913(b) |
| AIA Effective Dates | MPEP § 2202 |
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.
Official MPEP § 2602 — Citation of Prior Art
Source: USPTO2602 Citation of Prior Art [R-01.2024]
Citations of prior art continue to be allowed under 37 CFR 1.501. See MPEP §§ 2202 through 2206 and 2208 for the manner of making such citations and Office handling of the same. However, the Office does not accept requests for inter partes reexamination filed on or after September 16, 2012, and therefore any filed citation of prior art under 37 CFR 1.501 will only be processed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.902 in an inter partes reexamination request filed prior to September 16, 2012. See 37 CFR 1.913(b). Guidance on the former practice is available in revision 07.2022 of the 9th Edition of the MPEP.