What is an ‘interim copy’ of a foreign application in patent filings?
An ‘interim copy’ is a mechanism provided by 37 CFR 1.55(j) that allows applicants to meet the timeliness requirement for submitting a certified copy of a foreign application. It’s a copy of the original foreign application that the applicant can provide from their own records when they cannot obtain a certified copy within the time limit set by 37 CFR 1.55(f).
The MPEP states: 37 CFR 1.55(j) permits an applicant to provide an ‘interim copy’ of the original foreign application from the applicant’s own records to provide for the situation in which the applicant cannot obtain a certified copy of the foreign application within the time limit set forth in 37 CFR 1.55(f), although there is no requirement that an applicant be unable to obtain a certified copy of the foreign application within the time limit set forth in 37 CFR 1.55(f) to use 37 CFR 1.55(j).
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