MPEP § 203.03 — Amended (Annotated Rules)

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 203.03, 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.

Amended

This section addresses Amended.

Key Rules

Permitted Actions (1)

MPEP GuidancePermittedAlways
[mpep-203-03-8a32d88a20a281d4afa57154]
Reply May Include Election, Traversal, Or Amendment
Note:
The applicant's reply to an examiner’s action on an amended nonprovisional application may include an election, a traverse of the examiner’s actions, or an amendment to the application.

An “amended” nonprovisional application is one that having been acted on by the examiner, has in turn been acted on by the applicant in reply to the examiner’s action. The applicant’s reply may be confined to an election, a traverse of the action taken by the examiner or may include an amendment of the application.

Definitions & Scope (1)

MPEP GuidanceInformativeAlways
[mpep-203-03-d2e42b2d6e7fb2f3d1e9bf85]
Amended Nonprovisional Application Requirement
Note:
An application that has been acted upon by the examiner and then modified by the applicant in response to the examiner's actions.

An “amended” nonprovisional application is one that having been acted on by the examiner, has in turn been acted on by the applicant in reply to the examiner’s action. The applicant’s reply may be confined to an election, a traverse of the action taken by the examiner or may include an amendment of the application.

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