Who can be the applicant in a nonprovisional international design application?

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 applicant in a nonprovisional international design application can be:

• The inventor(s)
• The assignee
• The person to whom the inventor is under an obligation to assign the invention
• The person who otherwise shows sufficient proprietary interest in the matter

According to MPEP 2920.02, “The rules governing the applicant for patent set forth in 37 CFR 1.42 – 1.46 are generally applicable to nonprovisional international design applications.” This means that the same rules for regular patent applications apply to international design applications as well.