Patent Law FAQ

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

Here’s the complete FAQ:

An abandoned patent application is one that has been removed from the Office docket of pending applications. According to MPEP 203.05, this can occur in several ways:

  • Through formal abandonment by the applicant or their attorney/agent
  • Due to failure of the applicant to take appropriate action during prosecution
  • For failure to pay the issue fee
  • In the case of a provisional application, no later than 12 months after the filing date

As stated in MPEP 203.05: An abandoned application is, inter alia, one which is removed from the Office docket of pending applications. The specific reasons for abandonment are listed in the same section.