How are color drawings handled in plant patent applications during the issue process?
Color drawings play a crucial role in plant patent applications, and they receive special treatment during the issue process. According to MPEP 1611, “where there are color drawings, the better one of the two judged, for example, by its sharpness or cleanliness is selected to be printed in the patent.“
This means that when a plant patent application includes color drawings, patent examiners carefully evaluate the quality of these drawings. They select the superior version based on criteria such as sharpness and cleanliness to ensure that the best possible representation of the plant invention is included in the issued patent.
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