MPEP § 601.03 — Correspondence Address (Annotated Rules)
§601.03 Correspondence Address
This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 601.03, 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.
Correspondence Address
This section addresses Correspondence Address. Primary authority: 37 CFR 11.11) and 37 CFR 11.11. Contains: 3 requirements, 1 guidance statement, 2 permissions, and 1 other statement.
Key Rules
Correspondence Address Requirements
Note that the obligation (see 37 CFR 11.11) of a registered attorney or agent to notify the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline of any change of his or her address is separate from the obligation to file a notice of change of address in individual applications. Unless the correspondence address is designated as the address associated with a Customer Number, a separate notification must be filed in each application for which a person is intended to receive communications from the Office. See MPEP § 403 for Customer Number Practice. In those instances where a change in the correspondence address of a registered attorney or agent is necessary in a plurality of applications, the notification filed in each application may be a reproduction of a properly executed, original notification. The original notice may either be sent to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline as notification of the change of address (37 CFR 11.11), or may be retained by applicant.
Note that the obligation (see 37 CFR 11.11) of a registered attorney or agent to notify the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline of any change of his or her address is separate from the obligation to file a notice of change of address in individual applications. Unless the correspondence address is designated as the address associated with a Customer Number, a separate notification must be filed in each application for which a person is intended to receive communications from the Office. See MPEP § 403 for Customer Number Practice. In those instances where a change in the correspondence address of a registered attorney or agent is necessary in a plurality of applications, the notification filed in each application may be a reproduction of a properly executed, original notification. The original notice may either be sent to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline as notification of the change of address (37 CFR 11.11), or may be retained by applicant.
An application must specify a correspondence address to which the Office will send notices, letters, and other communications relating to an application. The Office should be promptly notified of any change in correspondence address. The required notification of change of correspondence address need take no particular form. However, it should be provided in a manner calling attention to the fact that a change of address is being made. Thus, the mere inclusion, in a paper being filed for another purpose, of an address which is different from the previously provided correspondence address, without mention of the fact that an address change is being made would not ordinarily be recognized or deemed as instructions to change the correspondence address on the file record.
An application must specify a correspondence address to which the Office will send notices, letters, and other communications relating to an application. The Office should be promptly notified of any change in correspondence address. The required notification of change of correspondence address need take no particular form. However, it should be provided in a manner calling attention to the fact that a change of address is being made. Thus, the mere inclusion, in a paper being filed for another purpose, of an address which is different from the previously provided correspondence address, without mention of the fact that an address change is being made would not ordinarily be recognized or deemed as instructions to change the correspondence address on the file record.
An application must specify a correspondence address to which the Office will send notices, letters, and other communications relating to an application. The Office should be promptly notified of any change in correspondence address. The required notification of change of correspondence address need take no particular form. However, it should be provided in a manner calling attention to the fact that a change of address is being made. Thus, the mere inclusion, in a paper being filed for another purpose, of an address which is different from the previously provided correspondence address, without mention of the fact that an address change is being made would not ordinarily be recognized or deemed as instructions to change the correspondence address on the file record.
See MPEP § 711.03(c) for treatment of petitions to revive applications abandoned as a consequence of failure to timely receive an Office action at the correspondence address of record (e.g., because the Office action was mailed to the incorrect correspondence address).
Practitioner Discipline
Note that the obligation (see 37 CFR 11.11) of a registered attorney or agent to notify the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline of any change of his or her address is separate from the obligation to file a notice of change of address in individual applications. Unless the correspondence address is designated as the address associated with a Customer Number, a separate notification must be filed in each application for which a person is intended to receive communications from the Office. See MPEP § 403 for Customer Number Practice. In those instances where a change in the correspondence address of a registered attorney or agent is necessary in a plurality of applications, the notification filed in each application may be a reproduction of a properly executed, original notification. The original notice may either be sent to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline as notification of the change of address (37 CFR 11.11), or may be retained by applicant.
Note that the obligation (see 37 CFR 11.11) of a registered attorney or agent to notify the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline of any change of his or her address is separate from the obligation to file a notice of change of address in individual applications. Unless the correspondence address is designated as the address associated with a Customer Number, a separate notification must be filed in each application for which a person is intended to receive communications from the Office. See MPEP § 403 for Customer Number Practice. In those instances where a change in the correspondence address of a registered attorney or agent is necessary in a plurality of applications, the notification filed in each application may be a reproduction of a properly executed, original notification. The original notice may either be sent to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline as notification of the change of address (37 CFR 11.11), or may be retained by applicant.
AIA Effective Dates
See MPEP § 601.03(a) for information specific to correspondence address changes in an application filed on or after September 16, 2012. See MPEP § 601.03(b) for information specific to correspondence address changes in an application filed before September 16, 2012.
Citations
| Primary topic | Citation |
|---|---|
| Correspondence Address Requirements Practitioner Discipline | 37 CFR § 11.11 |
| Correspondence Address Requirements Practitioner Discipline | MPEP § 403 |
| AIA Effective Dates | MPEP § 601.03(a) |
| AIA Effective Dates | MPEP § 601.03(b) |
| Correspondence Address Requirements | MPEP § 711.03(c) |
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 § 601.03 — Correspondence Address
Source: USPTO601.03 Correspondence Address [R-11.2013]
An application must specify a correspondence address to which the Office will send notices, letters, and other communications relating to an application. The Office should be promptly notified of any change in correspondence address. The required notification of change of correspondence address need take no particular form. However, it should be provided in a manner calling attention to the fact that a change of address is being made. Thus, the mere inclusion, in a paper being filed for another purpose, of an address which is different from the previously provided correspondence address, without mention of the fact that an address change is being made would not ordinarily be recognized or deemed as instructions to change the correspondence address on the file record.
See MPEP § 601.03(a) for information specific to correspondence address changes in an application filed on or after September 16, 2012. See MPEP § 601.03(b) for information specific to correspondence address changes in an application filed before September 16, 2012.
See MPEP § 711.03(c) for treatment of petitions to revive applications abandoned as a consequence of failure to timely receive an Office action at the correspondence address of record (e.g., because the Office action was mailed to the incorrect correspondence address).
Note that the obligation (see 37 CFR 11.11) of a registered attorney or agent to notify the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline of any change of his or her address is separate from the obligation to file a notice of change of address in individual applications. Unless the correspondence address is designated as the address associated with a Customer Number, a separate notification must be filed in each application for which a person is intended to receive communications from the Office. See MPEP § 403 for Customer Number Practice. In those instances where a change in the correspondence address of a registered attorney or agent is necessary in a plurality of applications, the notification filed in each application may be a reproduction of a properly executed, original notification. The original notice may either be sent to the Office of Enrollment and Discipline as notification of the change of address (37 CFR 11.11), or may be retained by applicant.