35 U.S.C. § 31
Section 31 · Repealed. Pub. L. 106113, div. B, 1000(a)(9) [title IV, 4715(b)], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A580]
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 347 court decisions — leading case Graver Tank & Mfg. Co. v. Linde Air Products Co. (1949)
Most recently applied in Praxair Distribution, Inc. v. Mallinckrodt Hosp. Prods. Ip Ltd. (May 2018)
Applied most in the Second Circuit Circuit (30 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 35 U.S.C. § 33 · 35 U.S.C. § 32 · 35 U.S.C. § 101
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
The Commissioner, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, may prescribe regulations governing the recognition and conduct of agents, attorneys, or other persons representing applicants or other parties before the Patent and Trademark Office, and may require them, before being recognized as representatives of applicants or other persons, to show that they are of good moral character and reputation and are possessed of the necessary qualifications to render to applicants or other persons valuable service, advice, and assistance in the presentation or prosecution of their applications or other business before the Office.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on Title 35, U.S.C., 1946 ed., §11 (R.S. 487, amended Feb. 18, 1922, ch. 58, §3, 42 Stat. 390).
The present statute is divided into two sections, 31 and 32.
Changes in language are made.
Amendments
1975—Pub. L. 93–596 substituted “Patent and Trademark Office” for “Patent Office”.
Effective Date of 1975 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 93–596 effective Jan. 2, 1975, see section 4 of Pub. L. 93–596, set out as a note under section 1111 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade.