What is the public policy regarding patent issuance after paying the issue fee?
The MPEP outlines a clear public policy regarding patent issuance once the issue fee is paid:
“There is a public policy that the patent will issue in regular course once the issue fee is timely paid.”
This policy, as stated in 37 CFR 1.314, emphasizes the expectation that patent issuance should proceed normally after the issue fee is paid. This underscores the exceptional nature of deferment requests and explains why such requests require a showing of good and sufficient reasons.
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