How do Article 34 amendments differ from Article 19 amendments?

Article 34 amendments differ from Article 19 amendments in several ways:

• Article 34 amendments can be made to the claims, description, and drawings, while Article 19 amendments are limited to claims only.
• Article 34 amendments are made during the Chapter II examination phase, while Article 19 amendments are made during the Chapter I search phase.
• Article 34 amendments are submitted to the International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA), while Article 19 amendments are filed with the International Bureau.

The MPEP states: “It should be noted that PCT Article 19 amendments are strictly amendments to the claims made during the Chapter I search phase while PCT Article 34(2)(b) amendments to the description, claims, and drawings are made during the Chapter II examination phase.“

To learn more:

• PCT
• Article 34 amendments
• Article 19 amendments
• international preliminary examination