First Examination Report (FER)

A First Examination Report (FER) is a document prepared and sent by an examiner at the patent office about any issues with your patent application.  It is only one step in the overall process at the Patent Office.  The FER will be sent to the person listed in the correspondence section of the Application Data Sheet that was submitted with the patent application.

Some inventors and startups receive a rejection of their patent application and take it too hard.  They feel as if it is the end of the road for them and that the funds spent were wasted.  At least for the initial rejection, this is not likely to be a waste.

The proper perspective on rejections is important so that you do not get depressed thinking about it.  If this is the FER and your patent application has been rejected, the rejection in and of itself is not a reason to abandon the patent application process.  The rejection is just the opinion of the examiner.  Of course, the examiner’s opinion matters the most but that does not mean that you do not have options.

A well-drafted reply is the most crucial step towards successful & rapid grant of the patent.

Dr Amrish Chandra is a Patent Agent in India.

You can find his Brief Profile here and list of his publications, his research area and know about the talks he delivers as an expert in Intellectual Property and Patent in particular.

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