Required Use by Foreign Applicants and Patent Owners of a Patent Practitioner

Document 2026-05564 is a Final Rule published by the Department of Commerce in the Federal Register on March 20, 2026, with an effective date of July 20, 2026. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) is amending the Rules of Practice in Patent Cases to require patent applicants and patent owners whose domicile is not located within the United States (U.S.) or its territories (hereinafter foreign applicants/inventors and patent owners) to be represented by a registered patent practitioner. A requirement that foreign applicants/ inventors and patent owners be represented by a registered patent practitioner will bring the U.S. in line with most other countries that require that such parties be represented by a licensed or registered person of that country. Additionally, this requirement will increase efficiency and enable the USPTO to more effectively use available mechanisms to enforce compliance by all foreign applicants/inventors and patent owners with U.S. statutory and regulatory requirements in patent matters, and enhance the USPTO's ability to respond to false certifications, misrepresentations, and fraud. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/20/2026-05564/required-use-by-foreign-applicants-and-patent-owners-of-a-patent-practitioner.

No. Document 2026-05564 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.