MPEP § 2406.02 — Deposit After Filing Date – Corroboration (Annotated Rules)

§2406.02 Deposit After Filing Date – Corroboration

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

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2406.02, 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.

Deposit After Filing Date – Corroboration

This section addresses Deposit After Filing Date – Corroboration. Primary authority: 35 U.S.C. 112. Contains: 1 requirement, 1 permission, and 1 other statement.

Key Rules

Topic

Deposit of Biological Materials

3 rules
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2406-02-b556a205843c350f6fd74e22]
Corroboration Required for Post-Filing Deposits of Biological Materials
Note:
Applicants must submit a statement from someone who can verify that the deposited biological material matches what was described in the application filed before deposit.

When the original deposit is made after the effective filing date of an application for patent, an applicant is required to promptly submit a statement from a person in a position to corroborate that the biological material which is deposited is a biological material specifically identified in the application (the filing date of which is relied upon) as filed. The nature of this corroboration will depend on the circumstances in the particular application under consideration, including the length of time between the application filing date and the date of deposit. While few, if any, situations can be imagined where the description requirement of 35 U.S.C. 112 can be satisfied where the biological material was not in existence at the time of filing, the rules will not preclude such a situation as there is no requirement in the patent law that an actual reduction to practice occur as a condition precedent to filing a patent application.

Jump to MPEP SourceDeposit of Biological MaterialsDisclosure Requirements
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2406-02-f74a8a2f6fc10bc0af31a7de]
Corroboration Required for Post-Filing Deposits
Note:
Applicants must provide corroboration that the deposited biological material matches the application's description, depending on the time between filing and deposit.

When the original deposit is made after the effective filing date of an application for patent, an applicant is required to promptly submit a statement from a person in a position to corroborate that the biological material which is deposited is a biological material specifically identified in the application (the filing date of which is relied upon) as filed. The nature of this corroboration will depend on the circumstances in the particular application under consideration, including the length of time between the application filing date and the date of deposit. While few, if any, situations can be imagined where the description requirement of 35 U.S.C. 112 can be satisfied where the biological material was not in existence at the time of filing, the rules will not preclude such a situation as there is no requirement in the patent law that an actual reduction to practice occur as a condition precedent to filing a patent application.

Jump to MPEP SourceDeposit of Biological MaterialsDisclosure Requirements
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-2406-02-68623dee2cc0de3b38def57e]
Biological Material Description Not Required at Filing
Note:
Patent law does not require that biological material be in existence at filing, as long as a description can be provided later.

When the original deposit is made after the effective filing date of an application for patent, an applicant is required to promptly submit a statement from a person in a position to corroborate that the biological material which is deposited is a biological material specifically identified in the application (the filing date of which is relied upon) as filed. The nature of this corroboration will depend on the circumstances in the particular application under consideration, including the length of time between the application filing date and the date of deposit. While few, if any, situations can be imagined where the description requirement of 35 U.S.C. 112 can be satisfied where the biological material was not in existence at the time of filing, the rules will not preclude such a situation as there is no requirement in the patent law that an actual reduction to practice occur as a condition precedent to filing a patent application.

Jump to MPEP SourceDeposit of Biological MaterialsDisclosure Requirements

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Deposit of Biological Materials35 U.S.C. § 112

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