# 37 CFR § 104.1: Definitions

> Federal · Regulations · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.1

## Section

- **Citation:** 37 CFR § 104.1
- **Heading:** Definitions
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Regulations
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** September 22, 2026
- **Source:** Publisher's official text
- **Location:** Title 37—Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights > CHAPTER I—UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE > SUBCHAPTER B—ADMINISTRATION > PART 104—LEGAL PROCESSES > Subpart A—General Provisions

## Text

Demand means a request, order, or subpoena for testimony or documents for use in a legal proceeding.
Director means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (see § 1.9(j)).
Document means any record, paper, and other property held by the Office, including without limitation, official letters, telegrams, memoranda, reports, studies, calendar and diary entries, maps, graphs, pamphlets, notes, charts, tabulations, analyses, statistical or informational accumulations, any kind of summaries of meetings and conversations, film impressions, magnetic tapes, and sound or mechanical reproductions.
Employee means any current or former officer or employee of the Office.
Legal proceeding means any pretrial, trial, and posttrial stages of existing or reasonably anticipated judicial or administrative actions, hearings, investigations, or similar proceedings before courts, commissions, boards or other tribunals, foreign or domestic. This phrase includes all phases of discovery as well as responses to formal or informal requests by attorneys or others involved in legal proceedings.
Office means the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including any operating unit in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and its predecessors, the Patent Office and the Patent and Trademark Office.
Official business means the authorized business of the Office.
General Counsel means the General Counsel of the Office.
Testimony means a statement in any form, including personal appearances before a court or other legal tribunal, interviews, depositions, telephonic, televised, or videotaped statements or any responses given during discovery or similar proceedings, which response would involve more than the production of documents, including a declaration under 35 U.S.C. 25 or 28 U.S.C. 1746.
United States means the Federal Government, its departments and agencies, individuals acting on behalf of the Federal Government, and parties to the extent they are represented by the United States.
[66 FR 47389, Sept. 12, 2001, as amended at 68 FR 14339, Mar. 25, 2003]

## Nearby sections

- [37 CFR § 104.1 § 104.1 Definitions.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.1.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.2 § 104.2 Address for mail and service; telephone number.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.2.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.3 § 104.3 Waiver of rules.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.3.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.4 § 104.4 Relationship of this Part to the Federal Rules of Civil or Criminal Procedure.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.4.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.11 § 104.11 Scope and purpose.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.11.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.12 § 104.12 Acceptance of service of process.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.12.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.21 § 104.21 Scope and purpose.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.21.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.22 § 104.22 Demand for testimony or production of documents.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.22.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.23 § 104.23 Expert or opinion testimony.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.23.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.24 § 104.24 Demands or requests in legal proceedings for records protected by confidentiality statutes.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.24.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.31 § 104.31 Scope.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.31.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.32 § 104.32 Procedure for requesting indemnification.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.32.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.41 § 104.41 Procedure for filing claims.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.41.md)
- [37 CFR § 104.42 § 104.42 Finality of settlement or denial of claims.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.42.md)

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/ecfr-37-104.1. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.