Amendment to patent form 43

With regard to patent correspondence and the change in practice regarding use of highlighter pens and coloured inks (such as red ink) which do not reproduce faithfully when scanned, the information provided in the practice notes issued in IFC 18 and 23 (relating to the making of amendments when a Patents Form 43 is filed) is now no longer valid.

The applicant is requested to indicate clearly which amendments have been made by using markings which reproduce faithfully when scanned as a black and white image (or monochrome). As noted above, the use of red ink to indicate the proposed amendments is no longer acceptable as it does not reproduce faithfully as a scanned image. Marking of margins with a vertical line will continue to meet this requirement where it clearly identifies the proposed amendments. Acceptable methods of indicating proposed amendments remain underlining, over-striking and by noting the proposed amendments on the Patents Form 43 (Regulation 101) providing that any manuscript amendments can be captured clearly as a black and white scanned image.

Patent Form 43 has been amended to reflect the change in practice and is available online from the Patents Forms and Fees section of the website.