Patent Law FAQ

This FAQ answers all your questions about patent law, patent procedure, and the patent examination process.

Here’s the complete FAQ:

A petition for a retroactive foreign filing license may be filed under 37 CFR 5.25 if an unlicensed foreign filing occurred through error. The petition must include:

1) A listing of each foreign country where the unlicensed patent application was filed
2) The filing dates in each country
3) A verified statement containing:
– An averment that the subject matter was not under a secrecy order and is not currently under a secrecy order
– A showing that the license has been diligently sought after discovery of the proscribed foreign filing
– An explanation of why the material was filed abroad through error without the required license
4) The required fee under 37 CFR 1.17(g)