MPEP § 1820 — MPEP § 1820
Current through: 2022-07-01

1820-Signature of Applicant 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Skip over navigation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 search for patents | search for trademarks 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Search 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 PATENTS 
 
 Patent Search 

 
 Patent Process 

 
 Patent Classification 

 
 Patent Forms 

 
 Statistics 

 
 Electronic Business Center 

 
 Patent Laws, Regulations, Policies & Procedures 

 
 Resources and Guidance 

 
 Office of Data Management 

 
 Announcements 

 
 Initiatives & Events 

 
 International Protection 

 
 Employee Locator 

 
 Contact Patents 

 

 

 
 TRADEMARKS 
 
 Trademark Search 

 
 Trademarks Process 

 
 News & Notices 

 
 Manuals, Guides, Official Gazette 

 
 Laws & Regulations 

 
 Online Filing 

 
 Contact Trademarks 

 

 

 
 IP LAW & POLICY 
 
 Rulemaking 

 
 IP Policy and Enforcement 

 
 Protecting IP Overseas 

 
 Training and Education 

 
 Training Programs & Conferences 

 
 Office of Governmental Affairs 

 
 Office of Chief Economist 

 
 Boards and Counsel 

 

 

 
 PRODUCTS & SERVICES 
 
 Electronic Data Products 

 
 XML Resources 

 
 XML Resources - Retrospective 

 
 USPTO Contact Center Order Form 

 
 Services 

 
 Locate Libraries 

 
 Training/Events 

 
 Online Services Hub 

 

 

 
 INVENTORS 
 
 Patents for Inventors 

 
 Trademarks for Inventors 

 
 Inventors Assistance 

 
 Education and Information 

 
 Scam Prevention 

 
 Pro Se and Pro Bono 

 
 Current Events 

 
 State Resources 

 
 InventorsEye Newsletter 

 

 

 
 NEWS & NOTICES 
 
 Subscription Center 

 
 Press Releases 

 
 Testimony and Speeches 

 
 Director's Forum 

 
 Systems Status 

 
 Emergency Notices 

 
 USPTO Videos 

 
 Official Gazette 

 
 Federal Register Notices 

 
 Event Calendar 

 

 

 
 FAQs 
 
 Patents FAQs 

 
 Trademarks FAQs 

 
 Assignments 

 
 Security 

 
 Musicians and Artists 

 
 Browser Plugins 

 
 Other Web Resources 

 

 

 
 ABOUT US 
 
 USPTO Leadership 

 
 USPTO Organization 

 
 USPTO Offices 

 
 Careers 

 
 Budget, Performance, and Planning 

 
 Statistics 

 
 Vendor Information 

 
 Public Advisory Committees 

 
 National Medal of Technology and Innovation 

 
 IP in Motion 

 
 Contact Us 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 Home Page 

 
 Patents 

 
 Patent Laws, Regulations, Policies & Procedures 

 
 Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 

 Chapter 1800 

 Section 1820 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 1820 Signature of Applicant [R-08.2017]

 
 PCT Article 14 

 Certain Defects in the International
 Application 

 
 (1) 
 
 (a) The receiving Office shall check whether the
 international application contains any of the following defects,
 that is to say
 
 (i) it is not signed as provided in the
 Regulations;
 

 
 

 
 

 
 *****

 

 
 PCT Rule 4 

 The Request (Contents) 

 *****

 
 4.15 Signature

 The request shall be signed by the applicant or, if
 there is more than one applicant, by all of them.
 

 *****

 

 

 
 PCT Rule 26 

 Checking by, and Correcting Before, the
 Receiving Office of Certain Elements of the International
 Application 

 *****

 
 26.2 bis Checking of Requirements Under Article 14(1)(a)(i)
 and (ii)
 

 
 (a) For the purposes of Article
 14(1)(a)(i) , if there is more than one applicant, it
 shall be sufficient that the request be signed by one of them. 
 

 (b) For the purposes of Article
 14(1)(a)(ii) , if there is more than one
 applicant, it shall be sufficient that the indications required under
 Rule 4.5(a)(ii) and (iii) be provided in respect
 of one of them who is entitled according to Rule
 19.1 to file the international application with
 the receiving Office. 
 

 
 *****

 

 
 SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT OR AGENT Pursuant to PCT Rule 4.15 , the
 international application must be signed in Box No. X of the request by the
 applicant, or, where there are two or more applicants, by all of them. However,
 under PCT Rule
 26.2bis, it is sufficient for purposes
 of PCT Article
 14(1)(a)(i) that the application is signed by only one of the
 applicants. The United States Receiving Office will not issue an invitation to
 applicants to furnish missing signatures where the request is signed by at least one
 of the applicants. Notwithstanding PCT Rule
 26.2bis, any designated/elected office, in
 accordance with its national law, can still require confirmation of the
 international application by the signature of any applicant for such designated
 state who has not signed the request. PCT Rule
 51bis.1(a)(vi). Pursuant to
 37 CFR
 1.4(d) , the request filed may be either an original, or a
 copy thereof. 
 

 The international application may be signed by an agent. Pursuant to
 37 CFR
 1.34 , a patent practitioner acting in a representative
 capacity must set forth his or her registration number on submitted papers.
 

 The requirement for the submission of a separate power of attorney
 may be waived by the receiving Office. The United States Receiving Office will, in
 most cases, waive the requirement for a separate power of attorney. See
 MPEP §
 1807 . 
 

 The United States Receiving Office will accept signatures meeting
 the requirements of either 37 CFR 1.4(d)(1) with respect
 to handwritten signatures or 37 CFR 1.4(d)(2) with respect
 to S-signatures. For handwritten signatures, the name of each person signing the
 international application should be indicated (preferably typewritten) next to the
 signature. For S-signatures, the signer’s name must be presented in printed or typed
 form preferably immediately below or adjacent the S-signature, and must be
 reasonably specific enough so that the identity of the signer can be readily
 recognized. See MPEP §
 502.02 , subsection II. Pursuant to 37 CFR
 1.4(d)(2)(ii) , a patent practitioner using an S-signature
 must supply his or her registration number either as part of the S-signature, or
 immediately below or adjacent to the S-signature.
 

 Where a person signs on behalf of a legal entity (an
 organization such as a corporation, university, nonprofit organization, or
 governmental agency), his or her name and the capacity in which he or she signs
 should be indicated. Proof of the person’s authority to sign on behalf of the legal
 entity will be required if that person does not possess apparent authority to sign
 on behalf of the legal entity and that person has not submitted a statement that he
 or she is authorized to sign on behalf of the legal entity (discussed below). An
 officer (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chief Executive Officer,
 Chief Operating Officer or Chief Financial Officer) of an organization is presumed
 to have authority to sign on behalf of that organization. The signature of the
 chairman of the board is also acceptable, but not the signature of an individual
 director. Variations of these titles (such as vice-president for sales, executive
 vice-president, assistant treasurer, vice-chairman of the board of directors) are
 acceptable. In general, a person having a title (manager, director, administrator,
 general counsel) that does not clearly set forth that person as an officer of the
 organization is not presumed to be an officer or to have the authority to sign on
 behalf of the organization. However, an exception is made with respect to foreign
 juristic applicants. This is because in foreign countries, a person who holds the
 title “Manager” or “Director” is normally an officer or the equivalent thereof;
 therefore, those terms are generally acceptable as indicating proper persons to sign
 applications for foreign applicants. However, titles such as “Manager of Patents,”
 suggesting narrowly limited duties, are not acceptable. An attorney does not
 generally have apparent authority to sign on behalf of an organization.
 

 Proof that a person has the authority to sign on behalf of a legal
 entity may take the form of a copy of a resolution of the board of directors, a
 provision of the bylaws, or a copy of a paper properly delegating authority to that
 person to sign the international application on behalf of the legal entity.
 

 It is acceptable to have a person sign the international application
 on behalf of a legal entity if that person submits a statement that the person has
 the authority to sign the international application on behalf of the legal entity.
 This statement should be on a separate paper and must not appear on the Request (or
 Demand) form itself. The statement must include a clause such as “The undersigned
 (whose title is supplied below) is empowered to sign the Request on behalf of the
 applicant.”
 

 The international application can be filed without applicant’s
 signature on the request. The lack of any required signature on the request is a
 correctable defect under PCT Article 14(1)(a)(i) and
 (b) , and can be remedied by filing a copy of the request (or,
 where the request has been signed by an agent, of a power of attorney) duly signed
 by the applicant within the time limit fixed by the receiving Office for the
 correction of this defect. 
 

 [top] 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 1801-Basic Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Principles 

 1802-PCT Definitions 

 1803-Reservations Under the PCT Taken by, and Notifications of Incompatibility Made by, the United States of America 

 1804-[Reserved] 

 1805-Where To File an International Application 

 1806-Applicants and Inventors 

 1807-Agent or Common Representative and General Power of Attorney 

 1808-Change in or Revocation of the Appointment of an Agent or a Common Representative 

 1809-Access to the USPTO patent electronic filing system 

 1810-Filing Date Requirements 

 1811-[Reserved] 

 1812-Elements of the International Application 

 1813 - 1816-[Reserved] 

 1817-PCT Member States 

 1818-[Reserved] 

 1819-Earlier Search 

 1820-Signature of Applicant 

 1821-The Request 

 1822-[Reserved] 

 1823-The Description 
 1823.01-Reference to Deposited Biological Material 

 1823.02-Filing Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Listings in International Applications 

 
 

 1824-The Claims 

 1825-The Drawings 

 1826-The Abstract 

 1827-Fees 
 1827.01-Refund of International Application Fees 

 
 

 1828-Priority Claim and Document 
 1828.01-Restoration of the Right of Priority 

 1828.02-Continuation or Continuation-in-Part Indication in the Request 

 
 

 1829-[Reserved] 

 1830-International Application Transmittal Letter 

 1831-[Reserved] 

 1832-License Request for Foreign Filing Under the PCT 

 1833-[Reserved] 

 1834-Correspondence 
 1834.01-Filing of Correspondence by Facsimile 

 1834.02-Irregularities in the Mail or Electronic Communications Service 

 
 

 1835-[Reserved] 

 1836-Rectification of Obvious Mistakes 

 1837 - 1839-[Reserved] 

 1840-The International Searching Authority 
 1840.01-The European Patent Office as an International Searching Authority 

 1840.02-The Korean Intellectual Property Office as an International Searching Authority 

 1840.03-The Australian Patent Office (IP Australia) as an International Searching Authority 

 1840.04-[Reserved] 

 1840.05-The Israel Patent Office (ILPO) as an International Searching Authority 

 1840.06-The Japan Patent Office (JPO) as an International Searching Authority 

 1840.07-The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) as an International Searching Authority 

 
 

 1841-[Reserved] 

 1842-Basic Flow Under the PCT 

 1843-The International Search 
 1843.01-Prior Art for Chapter I Processing 

 1843.02-Certain Subject Matter Need Not Be Searched 

 1843.03-No Search Required if Claims Are Unclear 

 1843.04-Procedure for Claims Not Required To Be Searched and for Claims That Are Unclear 

 1843.05-Time Limit for Establishing the International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority 

 
 

 1844-The International Search Report 
 1844.01-Preparing the International Search Report (Form PCT/ISA/210) 

 
 

 1845-Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority 
 1845.01-Preparing the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority (Form PCT/ISA/237) 

 1845.02-Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority,
 or the Declaration (Form PCT/ISA/220) 

 
 

 1846 - 1847-[Reserved] 

 1848-Sequence Listings 

 1849-[Reserved] 

 1850-Unity of Invention Before the International Searching Authority 

 1851-Identification of Patent Documents 

 1852-Taking Into Account Results of Earlier Search(es) 

 1853-Amendment Under PCT Article 19 

 1854 - 1855-[Reserved] 

 1856-Supplementary International Searches 

 1857-International Publication 

 1858-[Reserved] 

 1859-Withdrawal of International Application, Designations, or Priority Claims 

 1860-International Preliminary Examination Procedure 

 1861-[Reserved] 

 1862-Agreement With the International Bureau To Serve as an International Preliminary Examining Authority 

 1863-[Reserved] 

 1864-The Demand and Preparation for Filing of Demand 
 1864.01-Amendments Filed Under PCT Article 34 

 1864.02-Applicant’s Right To File a Demand 

 1864.03-States Which May Be Elected 

 1864.04-Agent’s Right To Act 

 
 

 1865-Filing of Demand 

 1866-[Reserved] 

 1867-Preliminary Examination Fees 

 1868-Correction of Defects in the Demand 

 1869-Notification to International Bureau of Demand 

 1870-Priority Document and Translation Thereof 

 1871-Processing Amendments Filed Under Article 19 and Article 34 Prior to or at the Start of International Preliminary Examination 

 1872-Availability of the International Application File for International Preliminary Examination by the Examining Corps 

 1873-[Reserved] 

 1874-Determination if International Preliminary Examination Is Required and Possible 

 1875-Unity of Invention Before the International Preliminary Examining Authority 
 1875.01-Preparation of Invitation Concerning Unity 

 1875.02-Reply to Invitation Concerning Lack of Unity of Invention 

 
 

 1876-Notation of Errors and Informalities by the Examiner 
 1876.01-Request for Rectification and Notification of Action Thereon 

 
 

 1877-Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Listings During the International Preliminary Examination 

 1878-Preparation of the Written Opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority 
 1878.01-Includes Subsections Regarding Prior Art, Novelty, Inventive Step, and Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written
 Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report 
 1878.01(a)-Prior Art for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report 
 1878.01(a)(1)-Novelty for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report 

 1878.01(a)(2)-Inventive Step for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report 

 1878.01(a)(3)-Industrial Applicability for Purposes of the Written Opinion and the International Preliminary Examination Report 

 
 

 
 

 1878.02-Reply to the Written Opinion of the ISA or IPEA 

 
 

 1879-Preparation of the International Preliminary Examination Report 
 1879.01-Time Limit for Preparing Report 

 1879.02-Transmittal of the International Preliminary Examination Report and Related Documents 

 1879.03-Translations 

 1879.04-Confidential Nature of the Report 

 
 

 1880-Withdrawal of Demand or Election 

 1881-Receipt of Notice of Election and Preliminary Examination Report by the United States Patent and Trademark Office 

 1882 - 1892-[Reserved] 

 1893-National Stage (U.S. National Application Filed Under 35 U.S.C. 371) 
 1893.01-Commencement and Entry 
 1893.01(a)-Entry via the U.S. Designated or Elected Office 
 1893.01(a)(1)-Submissions Required by 30 Months from the Priority Date 

 1893.01(a)(2)-Article 19 Amendment (Filed With the International Bureau) 

 1893.01(a)(3)-Article 34 Amendments (Filed with the International Preliminary Examining Authority) 

 1893.01(a)(4)-Claim Amendment (Filed With the U.S. Designated or Elected Office) 

 
 

 1893.01(b)-Applicant for a U.S. National Stage Application 

 1893.01(c)-Fees 

 1893.01(d)-Translation 

 1893.01(e)-Inventor’s Oath or Declaration 

 
 

 1893.02-Abandonment 

 1893.03-Prosecution of U.S. National Stage Applications Before the Examiner 
 1893.03(a)-How To Identify That an Application Is a U.S. National Stage Application 

 1893.03(b)-The Filing Date of a U.S. National Stage Application 

 1893.03(c)-The Priority Date, Priority Claim, and Priority Papers for a U.S. National Stage Application 

 1893.03(d)-Unity of Invention 

 1893.03(e)-Documents Received from the International Bureau and Placed in a U.S. National Stage Application File 
 1893.03(e)(1)-Title of the Invention 

 
 

 1893.03(f)-Drawings and PCT Rule 11 

 1893.03(g)-Information Disclosure Statement in a National Stage Application 

 
 

 
 

 1894-[Reserved] 

 1895-A Continuation, Divisional, or Continuation- in- Part Application of a PCT Application Designating the United States 
 1895.01-Handling of and Considerations in the Handling of Continuations, Divisions, and Continuations-In-Part of PCT Applications 

 
 

 1896-The Differences Between a National Application Filed Under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) and a National Stage Application Submitted Under
 35 U.S.C. 371 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 Accessibility 

 Privacy Policy 

 Terms of Use 

 Security 

 Emergencies/Security Alerts 

 Information Quality Guidelines 

 
 

 
 
 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act 

 Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation (NoFEAR) Act 

 Budget & Performance 

 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

 
 

 
 
 Department of Commerce NoFEAR Act Report 

 Regulations.gov 

 STOP!Fakes.gov 

 Department of Commerce 

 USA.gov 

 
 

 
 
 Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) 

 Careers 

 Site Index 

 Contact Us 

 Submit Feedback 

 
 

 
 This page is owned by Patents.

 Last Modified: 
 
 03/09/2026 20:50:37