Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[river1974]

Dear teachers:

Thank you for your letter of June 17, 2002 reporting the Office Action issued on the *merits* of the above-captioned application.

What does "merit" here mean? If it refers to the legal basis, then it should be uncountable, isn't it? Besides the above meaning, I couldn't think of anything else...

[asterix]

Merit here, means with regard only to its intrinsic excellence or value.
SO the Office Action was issued based only on the value of the above captioned application and nothing else.
If you didn't put it in the application, it was not taken into account.

[river1974]

Thanks asterix. It seems that the word "merit" in the sentence is redundant. If the application has no value at all, the applicant would not pay to file it.

[asterix]

I think its purpose is to warn applicants that they must make their case in the application, and therefore it must be complete and comprehensive.