37 CFR 1.48 — Correction of inventorship pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 116 or correction of the name or order of names in a patent application, other than a reissue application

Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024

• (a) Nonprovisional application: Any request to correct or change the inventorship once the inventorship has been established under § 1.41 must include:
  • (1) An application data sheet in accordance with § 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name; and
  • (2) The processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i) .
• (b) Inventor’s oath or declaration for added inventor: An oath or declaration as required by § 1.63 , or a substitute statement in compliance with § 1.64 , will be required for any actual inventor who has not yet executed such an oath or declaration.
• (c) Any request to correct or change the inventorship under paragraph (a) of this section filed after the Office action on the merits has been given or mailed in the application must also be accompanied by the fee set forth in § 1.17(d) , unless the request is accompanied by a statement that the request to correct or change the inventorship is due solely to the cancelation of claims in the application.
• (d) Provisional application. Once a cover sheet as prescribed by § 1.51(c)(1) is filed in a provisional application, any request to correct or change the inventorship must include:
  • (1) A request, signed by a party set forth in § 1.33(b) , to correct the inventorship that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name; and
  • (2) The processing fee set forth in § 1.17(q) .
• (e) Additional information may be required. The Office may require such other information as may be deemed appropriate under the particular circumstances surrounding the correction of inventorship.
• (f) Correcting or updating the name of an inventor: Any request to correct or update the name of the inventor or a joint inventor, or the order of the names of joint inventors, in a nonprovisional application must include:
  • (1) An application data sheet in accordance with § 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name in the desired order; and
  • (2) The processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i) .
• (g) Reissue applications not covered. The provisions of this section do not apply to reissue applications. See §§ 1.171 and 1.175 for correction of inventorship in a patent via a reissue application.
• (h) Correction of inventorship in patent. See § 1.324 for correction of inventorship in a patent.
• (i) Correction of inventorship in an interference or contested case before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. In an interference under part 41, subpart D, of this title, a request for correction of inventorship in an application must be in the form of a motion under § 41.121(a)(2) of this title. In a contested case under part 42, subpart D, of this title, a request for correction of inventorship in an application must be in the form of a motion under § 42.22 of this title. The motion under § 41.121(a)(2) or 42.22 of this title must comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.

[48 FR 2696, Jan. 20, 1983, effective Feb. 27, 1983; 49 FR 48416, Dec. 12, 1984, effective Feb. 11, 1985; 50 FR 9379, Mar. 7, 1985, effective May 8, 1985; para. (a), 57 FR 56446, Nov. 30, 1992, effective Jan. 4, 1993; revised, 60 FR 20195, Apr. 25, 1995, effective June 8, 1995; revised, 62 FR 53132, Oct. 10, 1997, effective Dec. 1, 1997; revised, 65 FR 54604, Sept. 8, 2000, effective Nov. 7, 2000; para. (f)(1) revised, 67 FR 520, Jan. 4, 2002, effective Apr. 1, 2002; paras. (a)-(c) and (i) revised and para. (j) added, 69 FR 49959, Aug. 12, 2004, effective Sept. 13, 2004; revised, 77 FR 48776, Aug. 14, 2012, effective Sept. 16, 2012; para. (c) revised, 78 FR 4212, Jan. 18, 2013, effective Mar. 19, 2013]