2410.01 Conditions of Deposit [R-07.2015]

Created On
byChhabra Law Firm

37 CFR 1.808 requires that the deposit of biological material be made under two conditions:

  • (A) access to the deposit will be available during pendency of the patent application making reference to the deposit to one determined by the Commissioner to be entitled thereto under 37 CFR 1.14 and 35 U.S.C. 122, and
  • (B) with one exception, that all restrictions imposed by the depositor on the availability to the public of the deposited biological material be irrevocably removed upon the granting of the patent.

The one exception that is permitted is specified in 37 CFR 1.808(b) which permits the depositor to contract with the depository to require that samples of a deposited biological material shall be furnished only if a request for a sample, during the term of the patent, meets any one or all of the three conditions specified in this paragraph. These conditions are:

  • (A) the request is in writing or other tangible form and dated; and/or
  • (B) the request contains the name and address of the requesting party and the accession number of the deposit; and/or
  • (C) the request is communicated in writing by the depository to the depositor along with the date on which the sample was furnished and the name and address of the party to whom the sample was furnished.

It should be noted that this exception to the general rule that all restrictions will be removed must be strictly followed and that no variations of this explicit exception will be accepted as meeting the conditions of this section. Although this exception is consistent with the provisions in the Budapest Treaty and its implementing regulations (Rule 11.4), other conditions on accessibility are permitted under the Budapest Treaty as prescribed by national law. Consequently, the mere indication that a deposit has been made and accepted under conditions prescribed by the Budapest Treaty would satisfy all conditions of these regulations except the requirement that all restrictions on access be removed on grant of the patent. Ex parte Hildebrand, 15 USPQ2d 1662 (Bd. Pat. App. & Int. 1990).