Patent Law FAQ

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

Here’s the complete FAQ:

Patent applications that have not been published under 35 U.S.C. 122(b) are generally preserved in confidence pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 122(a). Information about the filing, pendency, or subject matter of an application, including status information and access to the application, is only given to the public as set forth in § 1.11 or in this section of the MPEP.

As stated in 37 CFR 1.14(a): Patent applications that have not been published under 35 U.S.C. 122(b) are generally preserved in confidence pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 122(a). Information concerning the filing, pendency, or subject matter of an application for patent, including status information, and access to the application, will only be given to the public as set forth in § 1.11 or in this section.