Title 35 — PatentsRelease 119-73
§26 Effect of defective execution
Title 35 › Part PART I— - UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE › Chapter CHAPTER 2— - PROCEEDINGS IN THE PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE › § 26
Summary
The Patent Office can temporarily accept a filing with a wrong signature if a correctly signed version is filed in the time allowed.
Full Legal Text
Title 35, §26
Patents — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Any document to be filed in the Patent and Trademark Office and which is required by any law, rule, or other regulation to be executed in a specified manner may be provisionally accepted by the Director despite a defective execution, provided a properly executed document is submitted within such time as may be prescribed.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2002—Pub. L. 107–273 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 106–113. See 1999 Amendment note below. 1999—Pub. L. 106–113, as amended by Pub. L. 107–273, substituted “Director” for “Commissioner”. 1975—Pub. L. 93–596 substituted “Patent and Trademark Office” for “Patent Office”.
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 this title.
Effective Date
of 1975 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 93–596 effective Jan. 2, 1975, see section 4 of Pub. L. 93–596, set out as a note under section 1111 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
35 U.S.C. § 26
Title 35 — Patents
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73