Patents are regulated by a series of laws and rules. The Patent Laws are located in the US Code (35 USC) and the rules, which outline changes to the law and other matters relating to patent laws, are located in the Code of Federal Regulations (37 CFR).
The United States Patent and Trademark Office also offers a resource of links to other documents regarding patent laws and rules:
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Basic laws and regulations
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Manual of Patent Examining Procedure definition – MPEP
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Notices: Recent Patent-Related - pre-OG, OG & Federal Register
- Proposed Rule Changes to Focus the Patent Process in the 21st Century
- Timely and Useful Information Disclosure Statements (IDSs)
- Accelerated Review Option
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New Rules on Claims and Continuations
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Revised Amendment Practice
- American Inventor's Protection Act of 1999 (AIPA)
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International Protection
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Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
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Global/International Intellectual Property
The laws and rules should be read prior to filing a patent application. However, patent law is extremely complex, as evident by the resources available on the USPTO site. It is common for an applicant to be overwhelmed by the information.
In this case, the individual or group should contact an attorney to help with filing the
Patent Application, or at the least, consult with an attorney before independently filing for a patent. The patent application process can be time consuming and an attorney can help usher the application through properly.