American Inventors Protection Act

Updated on Sep 21, 2024

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The American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) is a United States federal law enacted on November 29, 1999 as Public Law 106-113. In 2002, the Intellectual Property and High Technology Technical Amendments Act of 2002, Public Law 107-273, amended AIPA.

AIPA contains significant changes to American Patent Law. AIPA added

An "earlier invention" defense for business method patents - 35 U.S.C. §273;

Publication of US patent applications for foreign published applications - 35 U.S.C. §122;

Patent term restoration for delays caused by the Patent and Trademark Office - 35 U.S.C. §154; and

The Request for Continued Examination (RCE) patent prosecution procedure.

Disclosure requirements for Invention promotion firms.

Political considerations

Large corporations generally supported the bill. Independent inventors generally opposed the bill.

References

American Inventors Protection Act Wikipedia

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