---
type: "LegalText"
title: "35 U.S.C. § 187"
description: "Nonapplicability to certain persons"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 35
title_name: "PATENTS"
chapter_number: "17"
chapter_name: "SECRECY OF CERTAIN INVENTIONS AND FILING APPLICATIONS IN FOREIGN COUNTRY"
section: "187"
citation: "35 U.S.C. § 187"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc35@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t35/s187"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-35/usc35.xml"
source_hash: "03b8bb02502adaec391fae82679812497623faf955b29b090dcec672aea72b13"
raw_snapshot_hash: "736cab508592dcf50013a1aed5ab108f72fd8493e76afc46848cdc35da38bbe3"
text_hash: "95435da09ff5858e5701fd2ada42e04eb3882969172bab5742691811ef4581f7"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 35 U.S.C. § 187 - Nonapplicability to certain persons

## Text

The prohibitions and penalties of this chapter shall not apply to any officer or agent of the United States acting within the scope of his authority, nor to any person acting upon his written instructions or permission.

(July 19, 1952, ch. 950, 66 Stat. 808.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on Title 35, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 157 (Feb. 1, 1952, ch. 4, § 7, 66 Stat. 6). Language is changed.