What is the difference between a power of attorney and a customer number?

A power of attorney and a customer number serve different purposes in patent applications:

• Power of Attorney: This is a legal document that gives an attorney or agent the authority to act on behalf of the applicant or assignee in matters before the USPTO.
• Customer Number: This is a unique identifier assigned by the USPTO to allow for easier management of multiple patent applications.

According to MPEP 601.02: “A power of attorney may be supplied with a customer number so that the power of attorney will be effective in all existing and future patent applications or patent matters associated with that customer number.” This means that a customer number can be used in conjunction with a power of attorney to streamline the process of managing multiple applications.

To learn more:

• power of attorney
• customer number
• USPTO
• patent application management