What is a Statutory Invention Registration (SIR)?

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.

A Statutory Invention Registration (SIR) is a defensive publication that provides some of the benefits of a patent without granting enforceable rights. As stated in the MPEP, A statutory invention registration is not a patent. It has the defensive attributes of a patent but does not have the enforceable attributes of a patent.

SIRs are published and can be used as prior art, but they do not grant the holder the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention.