U.S. Defensive Publications and Statutory Invention Registrations

The Defensive Publication Program allowed patent applicants to request publication of an abstract of their pending applications provided they waived their rights to a patent. The Defensive Publication Program was abolished in 1985 and the last defensive publication was published in 1988. Approximately 5,002 unexamined applications were published under the Defensive Publication Program during its twenty-year span.

Defensive publication numbers consist of three parts.

T 123 01

The prefix “T” indicates a technical disclosure. This is followed by a three digit number corresponding to the volume of the Official Gazette in which the defensive publication was included and a two or three digit document number.

The Statutory Invention Registration (SIR) Program was established in 1985 and abolished in 2013. Like the Defensive Publication Program, it allowed patent applicants to request publication of their pending applications provided that they waived their patent rights. Approximately 2,266 SIR documents were published from 1985 through 2014.

Table 1. Defensive Publication and SIR Numbers, 1968-2014

Year	1st SIR	1st Def. Pub.
2014	H2,288	–
2013	H2,274	–
2012	H2,266	–
2011	H2,251	–
2010	H2,234	–
2009	H2,228	–
2008	H2,208	–
2007	H2,177	–
2006	H2,137	–
2005	H2,113	–
2004	H2,093	–
2003	H2,057	–
2002	H2,008	–
2001	H1,930	–
2000	H1,826	–
1999	H1,766	–
1998	H1,701	–
1997	H1,623	–
1996	H1,512	–
1995	H1,389	–
1994	H1,270	–
1993	H1,124	–
1992	H1,007	–
1991	H863	–
1990	H720	–
1989	H563	–
1988	H396	T109,201
1987	H182	T107,801
1986	H7	T106,201
1985	H1	T105,001
1984	–	T103,801
1983	–	T102,601
1982	–	T101,401
1981	–	T100,201
1980	–	T990,001
1979	–	T978,001
1978	–	T966,001
1977	–	T954,001
1976	–	T942,001
1975	–	T930,001
1974	–	T918,001
1973	–	T906,001
1972	–	T894,001
1971	–	T882,001
1970	–	T870,001
1969	–	T858,001
1968	–	T856,001