What types of petitions can the Director of the Technology Center who Oversees Licensing and Review decide?

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.

The Director of the Technology Center who Oversees Licensing and Review has the authority to decide several types of petitions, including:

• Petitions to extend time for taking action in U.S.-owned applications important to national defense
• Petitions to suspend action in U.S.-owned applications where publication might be detrimental to public safety or defense
• Petitions for foreign licenses to file patent applications in foreign countries
• Petitions related to secrecy orders (rescission, disclosure, modification)
• Petitions concerning DOE and NASA property rights statements
• Petitions relating to foreign filing licenses
• Petitions concerning security or government interest matters

As stated in MPEP 1002.02(c)(1): “In addition to the items delegated to all Technology Center Directors under MPEP § 1002.02(c), authority to decide the following is delegated to the Director of the Technology Center who Oversees Licensing and Review.”