Secrecy and License to Export

In the interest of national security, patent laws and rules place certain limitations on the disclosure of information contained in patents and patent applications and on the filing of applications in foreign countries. In particular, whenever the publication or disclosure of an invention by the publication of an application or by the granting of a patent is, in the opinion of the head of an interested Government agency, determined to be detrimental to national security, the Commissioner for Patents of the USPTO must issue a secrecy order and withhold the publication of a patent application and the grant of a patent for such period as the national interest requires. The USPTO collects information to determine whether the patent laws and rules have been compiled with and to grant or revoke licenses to file abroad when appropriate. This collection is required by 35 U.S.C. 181-188 and administered through 37 CFR 5.1-5.33. Affected public includes private sector and individuals and households.

The latest form for Secrecy and License to Export expires 2023-04-30 and can be found here.

Petition for Recission of Secrecy Order

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Economic Development - Intellectual Property Protection