{"data":{"id":"us/37-cfr-11.204","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"37 CFR 11.204","heading":"Practitioner serving as third-party neutral.","body":"(a) A practitioner serves as a third-party neutral when the practitioner assists two or more persons who are not clients of the practitioner to reach a resolution of a dispute or other matter that has arisen between them. Service as a third-party neutral may include service as an arbitrator, a mediator or in such other capacity as will enable the practitioner to assist the parties to resolve the matter.\n(b) A practitioner serving as a third-party neutral shall inform unrepresented parties that the practitioner is not representing them. When the practitioner knows or reasonably should know that a party does not understand the practitioner's role in the matter, the practitioner shall explain the difference between the practitioner's role as a third-party neutral and a practitioner's role as one who represents a client.","path":["Title 37—Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights","CHAPTER I—UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE","SUBCHAPTER A—GENERAL","PART 11—REPRESENTATION OF OTHERS BEFORE THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE","Subpart D—USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-37.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:25:45Z","sha256":"5bd7a2c55bd679af11248de47e79bc1b3749a81327e0a90f6d221842e52cc34d","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/37-cfr-11.203","next":"us/37-cfr-11.205-11.300"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}