GUIDELINES ON AMENDMENTS AND CORRECTIONS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS AND DRAW-INGS

01/01/2001

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The IPO finished drafting Chapter 5 of its Patent Examination Guidelines: Amendments and Corrections of Patent Specifications and Draw-ings, and announced its entry into force on 14 December 2000. The guidelines applies to in-vention and new utility model patent applications as well as invention and new utility model pat-ents covering the following:

Regulations governing amendments to appli-cations before patent applications are pub-lished, including: time limits, items which may be supplemented or amended, determi-nation of substantive changes, and the effect of amendments.

Regulations governing amendments or correc-tions made after patent applications are pub-lished, including: timing of making amend-ments or corrections, determination of sub-stantive changes, items which may be sup-plemented, amended or corrected, and the ef-fect of amendments or corrections.

The guidelines also provides detailed rules for handling amendments or corrections to specifi-cations or drawings made by patent applicants or patentees when defending opposition or cancel-lation actions.