2250.02 Correction of Inventorship [R-07.2015]
37 CFR 1.530 Statement by patent owner in ex parte reexamination; amendment by patent owner in ex parte or inter partes reexamination; inventorship change in ex parte or inter partes reexamination.
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- (l) Correction of inventorship in an ex parte or inter partes reexamination proceeding.
- (1) When it appears in a patent being reexamined that the correct inventor or inventors were not named, the Director may, on petition of all the parties set forth in § 1.324(b)(1) and (b)(2), including the assignees, and satisfactory proof of the facts and payment of the fee set forth in § 1.20(b), or on order of a court before which such matter is called in question, include in the reexamination certificate to be issued under § 1.570 or § 1.997 an amendment naming only the actual inventor or inventors. The petition must be submitted as part of the reexamination proceeding and must satisfy the requirements of § 1.324.
- (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (l)(1) of this section, if a petition to correct inventorship satisfying the requirements of § 1.324 is filed in a reexamination proceeding, and the reexamination proceeding is concluded other than by a reexamination certificate under § 1.570 or § 1.997, a certificate of correction indicating the change of inventorship stated in the petition will be issued upon request by the patentee.
Where the inventorship of a patent being reexamined is to be corrected, a petition for correction of inventorship which complies with 37 CFR 1.324 must be submitted during the prosecution of the reexamination proceeding. See 37 CFR 1.530(l)(1). If the petition under 37 CFR 1.324 is granted, a certificate of correction indicating the change of inventorship will not be issued, because the reexamination certificate that will ultimately issue will contain the appropriate change of inventorship information. The certificate of correction is in effect merged with the reexamination certificate.
In some instances, the reexamination proceeding concludes but does not result in a reexamination certificate under 37 CFR 1.570 or 1.997, e.g., reexamination is vacated, or the order for reexamination is denied. In those instances, patent owner may, after the conclusion of the reexamination proceeding, request that the inventorship be corrected by a certificate of correction indicating the change of inventorship. See 37 CFR 1.530(l)(2). Alternatively, the failure to name the correct inventive entity is an error in the patent which is correctable by reissue under 35 U.S.C. 251. See MPEP § 1412.04 for a discussion of when correction of inventorship by reissue is appropriate.