Administrative Instructions under the Patent Cooperation Treaty

Section 318
Cancellation of Designations of Non-Contracting States

The receiving Office shall cancel ex officio the designation of any State which is not a Contracting State, shall enclose that designation within square brackets, shall draw a line between the square brackets while still leaving the designation legible, shall enter, in the margin, the words "CANCELLED EX OFFICIO BY RO" or their equivalent in the language of publication of the international application, and shall promptly notify the applicant accordingly. If the record copy has already been sent to the International Bureau, the receiving Office shall also notify that Bureau.