Title 28Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73

§1745 Copies of foreign patent documents

Title 28 › Part PART V— - PROCEDURE › Chapter CHAPTER 115— - EVIDENCE; DOCUMENTARY › § 1745

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Foreign patent materials held by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and certified under section 1744 count as proof of what they say and of the dates shown.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §1745

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Copies of the specifications and drawings of foreign letters patent, or applications for foreign letters patent, and copies of excerpts of the official journals and other official publications of foreign patent offices belonging to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, certified in the manner provided by section 1744 of this title are prima facie evidence of their contents and of the dates indicated on their face.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 674 (R.S. § 893). Changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1745, act
June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 948, related to printed copies of patent specifications and drawings, prior to repeal by act
May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 92(d), 63 Stat. 103.

Amendments

1999—Pub. L. 106–113 substituted “United States Patent and Trademark Office” for “United States Patent Office”. 1964—Pub. L. 88–619, among other changes, inserted “or applications for foreign letters patent, and copies of excerpts of the official journals and other official publications of foreign patent offices belonging to the United States Patent Office” in text, and substituted “documents” for “specifications and drawings” in section catchline. 1949—Act May 24, 1949, renumbered section 1746 of this title as this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1999 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 106–113 effective 4 months after Nov. 29, 1999, see section 1000(a)(9) [title IV, § 4731] of Pub. L. 106–113, set out as a note under section 1 of Title 35, Patents.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 1745

Title 28Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73