35 U.S.C. 301, Citation of prior art

Executive summary:

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Source and Index. This document contains Section 301 ("Citation of prior art") of the U.S. Patent Act. This section was taken from the Eighth Edition, Eighth Revision of the MPEP (July 2010). This page was last updated in January 2011. You may return to the section index to find a particular section. Alternatively, you may search the Patent Act using the search box that appears on the left side of every page of BitLaw--you may restrict your search to Statutes on the search results page.

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35 U.S.C. 301 Citation of prior art.

Any person at any time may cite to the Office in writing prior art consisting of patents or printed publications which that person believes to have a bearing on the patentability of any claim of a particular patent. If the person explains in writing the pertinency and manner of applying such prior art to at least one claim of the patent, the citation of such prior art and the explanation thereof will become a part of the official file of the patent. At the written request of the person citing the prior art, his or her identity will be excluded from the patent file and kept confidential.

(Added Dec. 12, 1980, Public Law 96-517, sec. 1, 94 Stat. 3015.)