Law - PCT Priority Document Due

In an international patent application, an applicant may claim the priority of one or more earlier national or international patent applications. While a certified copy of the priority application(s) may be filed together with the international patent application, the latest they may be filed is 16 months after the priority date (the filing date of the earliest priority application).

The position of the USPTO on this issue is described in the following section(s) of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP):

MPEP 1828 - Priority Claim and Document
MPEP 1801 - Basic Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Principles


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