Privacy Act Statement
The Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579) requires that you be given certain information in connection with
your submission of the attached form related to a patent application or patent. Accordingly, pursuant to
the requirements of the Act, please be advised that: (1) the general authority for the collection of this
information is 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2); (2) furnishing of the information solicited is voluntary; and (3) the
principal purpose for which the information is used by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is to process
and/or examine your submission related to a patent application or patent. If you do not furnish the
requested information, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may not be able to process and/or examine
your submission, which may result in termination of proceedings or abandonment of the application or
expiration of the patent.
The information provided by you in this form will be subject to the following routine uses:
1. The information on this form will be treated confidentially to the extent allowed under the
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C 552a). Records
from this system of records may be disclosed to the Department of Justice to determine
whether disclosure of these records is required by the Freedom of Information Act.
2. A record from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, in the co
urse of
pre
senting evidence to a court, magistrate, or administrative tribunal, including discl
osures
to opposing
counsel in the course of sett
lement negotiations.
3. A reco
rd in this system of records may be disclosed, as a routin
e use, to a Member of
Congress submitting a request involving an individual,
to whom the record pertai
ns, when
the individual
has requested assistance from the Member with respect to the sub
ject matter
of the record.
4. A record in this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a contractor of the
Agency having need for the information in order to perform a contract. Recipients of
information shall be required to comply
with the requireme
nts of the Privacy Act of 1974, as
amended, pursuant to 5 U.
S.C. 552a(m
).
5. A record relat
ed to an International Application
filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in
this syste
m of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to the Internation
al Bureau of
the World Intellectual Property Organization, pursuant to the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
6. A record in this system of records may be
disclosed, as a routine use, to another
federal
agency for purposes of Nat
ional Security review (35 U.S.C. 181) and for review pu
rsuant to
the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 218(c)).
7. A reco
rd from this system of records may be disclosed, as a ro
utine use, to the
Administrator, General Services, o
r his/her designee, during an inspection of record
s
conducted by
GSA as part of that agency’s responsibility to recommend improv
ements in
records management practices and programs, under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
Such disclosure shall be made in accordance with the GSA regulations governing
inspection of records for this purpose, and any other relevant (i.e., GSA or Commerce)
directive. Such disclosure shall not be used to make determinations about individuals.
8. A reco
rd from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to the pu
blic after
either pu
blication of the application pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 122(b) or issuance of
a patent
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 151.
Further, a record may be disclosed, su
bject to the limitations of
37 CF
R 1.14, as a routine use, to the public if the record was filed in an application whi
ch
became ab
andoned or in which the proceedings were terminated and which application i
s
referenced by
either a published application, an application open to public inspect
ion or an
issued patent.
9. A reco
rd from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a Federal,
State, or local law enforcement agency, if the USPTO becomes aware of a violation or
potential violation of law or regulation.
