(a)

(1) The Director may issue a certificate of correction pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 254 to correct a mistake in a patent, incurred through the fault of the Office, which mistake is clearly disclosed in the records of the Office:

(i) At the request of the patentee or the patentee's assignee;

(ii) Acting sua sponte for mistakes that the Office discovers; or

(iii) Acting on information about a mistake supplied by a third party.

(2)

(i) There is no obligation on the Office to act on or respond to a submission of information or request to issue a certificate of correction by a third party under paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section.

(ii) Papers submitted by a third party under this section will not be made of record in the file that they relate to nor be retained by the Office.

(3) If the request relates to a patent involved in an interference or trial before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the request must comply with the requirements of this section and be accompanied by a motion under §41.121(a)(2), §41.121(a)(3), or §42.20 of this title.

(4) The Office will not issue a certificate of correction under this section without first notifying the patentee (including any assignee of record) at the correspondence address of record as specified in §1.33(a) and affording the patentee or an assignee an opportunity to be heard.

(b) If the nature of the mistake on the part of the Office is such that a certificate of correction is deemed inappropriate in form, the Director may issue a corrected patent in lieu thereof as a more appropriate form for certificate of correction, without expense to the patentee.

(35 U.S.C. 254)

[24 FR 10332, Dec. 22, 1959, as amended at 49 FR 48454, Dec. 12, 1984; 65 FR 54677, Sept. 8, 2000; 69 FR 50001, Aug. 12, 2004; 77 FR 46626, Aug. 6, 2012]