MPEP § 714.25 — Discourtesy of Applicant or Attorney (Annotated Rules)

§714.25 Discourtesy of Applicant or Attorney

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

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 714.25, 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.

Discourtesy of Applicant or Attorney

This section addresses Discourtesy of Applicant or Attorney. Primary authority: 37 CFR 1.3. Contains: 1 guidance statement, 1 permission, and 1 other statement.

Key Rules

Topic

Access to Prosecution History

3 rules
StatutoryRecommendedAlways
[mpep-714-25-d3e9035363381fb4f58eeceb]
Discourteous Remarks in Filings Must Be Handled Carefully
Note:
If an attorney or agent is discourteous, the paper should be either ignored or submitted to the Deputy Commissioner for review. The Office may send a notice of non-entry or close the paper if it violates decorum.

If the attorney or agent is discourteous in the remarks or arguments in their amendment or other paper submitted for entry in an application file, either the discourtesy should be entirely ignored or the paper should be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner for Patents who oversees the Office of Petitions for review. See MPEP § 1002.02(b). If the Deputy Commissioner determines that the remarks are in violation of 37 CFR 1.3, the Deputy Commissioner will send a notice of non-entry of the paper to the applicant. At its discretion, the Office may also close the non-entered paper in the IFW of the application or remove the paper from the IFW.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.3Access to Prosecution HistoryAccess to Specific Document TypesAccess to Patent Application Files (MPEP 101-106)
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-714-25-afa806c860da10e0612040d9]
Deputy Commissioner Reviews Disrespectful Remarks
Note:
If the Deputy Commissioner finds remarks violate decorum, a notice of non-entry will be sent to the applicant.

If the attorney or agent is discourteous in the remarks or arguments in their amendment or other paper submitted for entry in an application file, either the discourtesy should be entirely ignored or the paper should be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner for Patents who oversees the Office of Petitions for review. See MPEP § 1002.02(b). If the Deputy Commissioner determines that the remarks are in violation of 37 CFR 1.3, the Deputy Commissioner will send a notice of non-entry of the paper to the applicant. At its discretion, the Office may also close the non-entered paper in the IFW of the application or remove the paper from the IFW.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.3Access to Prosecution HistoryAccess to Specific Document TypesAccess to Patent Application Files (MPEP 101-106)
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-714-25-1f8dc280e969bd500bdfa858]
Office May Close or Remove Non-Entered Paper
Note:
The Office has discretion to close the non-entered paper in the application file or remove it from the IFW if the attorney or agent is discourteous.

If the attorney or agent is discourteous in the remarks or arguments in their amendment or other paper submitted for entry in an application file, either the discourtesy should be entirely ignored or the paper should be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner for Patents who oversees the Office of Petitions for review. See MPEP § 1002.02(b). If the Deputy Commissioner determines that the remarks are in violation of 37 CFR 1.3, the Deputy Commissioner will send a notice of non-entry of the paper to the applicant. At its discretion, the Office may also close the non-entered paper in the IFW of the application or remove the paper from the IFW.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.3Access to Prosecution HistoryAccess to Specific Document TypesAccess to Patent Application Files (MPEP 101-106)

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Access to Prosecution History37 CFR § 1.3
Access to Prosecution HistoryMPEP § 1002.02(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