Patent Rules

Marginal note:Notice of disregarded communication

• 40 (1) If, in any business for the purpose of prosecuting or maintaining in effect an application for a patent or for the purpose of a procedure relating to a patent, a joint applicant or joint patentee who is not the common representative of the joint applicants or joint patentees sends a written communication to the Commissioner in respect of any business for which the common representative is entitled to represent the applicants or the patentees, the Commissioner must by notice inform that joint applicant or joint patentee that the Commissioner will not have regard to that communication unless, not later than three months after the date of the notice, that joint applicant or joint patentee is appointed in accordance with paragraph 26(3)(a) to represent the applicants or patentees as the common representative and requests that the Commissioner have regard to the communication.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a communication in respect of any business under subsection 36(2), (3) or (4) or to a communication in respect of any business for the purpose of a procedure relating to a patent, other than a communication in respect of business referred to in subsection 37(2).

• Marginal note:Communication deemed received

  (3) If, not later than three months after the date of the notice referred to in subsection (1), the joint applicant or joint patentee who sent a written communication to the Commissioner is appointed under paragraph 26(3)(a) to represent the applicants or patentees as their common representative and requests that the Commissioner have regard to the communication, the communication is deemed to have been received from the common representative on the date on which it was originally received from the joint applicant or joint patentee.