Can a withdrawn attorney continue to receive Office communications for a patent application?

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Source: FAQ (MPEP-Based) BlueIron Update: 2024-09-09 10 Rules 5 Related FAQs This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice. No, a withdrawn attorney should not continue to receive Office communications for a patent application. The MPEP 402.06 clearly states: “An attorney or agent withdrawing from an application who wishes to cease receiving copies of communications from the Office must submit a request that the correspondence cease.” This means that unless the withdrawn attorney explicitly requests to stop receiving communications, they may continue to receive them. However, it’s important to note that the withdrawn attorney is no longer authorized to act on behalf of the application. To ensure proper handling of the application, the withdrawn attorney should request that correspondence cease, and the applicant or new representative should update the correspondence address with the USPTO. Related Rules from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 10 rules Collapse Attorney or Agent Must Be Registered to Practice Before USPTO MPEP 402 Required Patent Attorney or Agent Required for Design Patents MPEP 402 Permitted Office Selects Official Correspondence Address MPEP 402 Attorney or Agent May Only Act as Design Patent Practitioner MPEP 402 Permitted Requirement for Changing Correspondence Address MPEP 402 Invalid Power of Attorney Affects Correspondence Address MPEP 402 Request for Withdrawal as Attorney or Agent Can Be Filed Online MPEP 402.06 Permitted Requirement for Changing Correspondence Address on Withdrawal MPEP 402.06 Required Change Correspondence Address on Withdrawal MPEP 402.06 Permitted Requests to Withdraw Not Decided After Deadline MPEP 402.06 Other Related FAQs 5 FAQs Collapse How does the USPTO handle communication after an attorney withdraws from a patent application? What are the requirements f...