Requirements for Claiming the Benefit of Prior-Filed Applications Under Eighteen-Month Publication of Patent Applications

In implementing the provisions of the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 related to the eighteen-month publication of patent applications, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) revised the rules of practice related to requirements for claiming the benefit of a prior-filed application. The Office is now revising the time period for claiming the benefit of a prior-filed application in an application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), revising the time period for filing an English language translation of a non-English language provisional application, and making other technical corrections to the rules of practice related to eighteen-month publication.