Information on Important Patent Law Changes
On December 8, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Uruguay Round
Agreements Act. This Act made several significant changes to U.S. patent
law, including:
- a change to the measurement of patent term in the United States
(e.g., patents will now provide rights starting on the issue date and will
expire 20 years after the earliest effective filing date of the application
resulting in the patent);
- creation of a "provisional application" system (e.g., a low cost,
reduced-formalities patent application); and
- changes to the provisions of U.S. law governing proof of invention
to obtain a patent.
Information is available that explains the changes to the US Patent Law made
through the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, including: a very brief overview,
the
Final Rule Publication: Changes to Implement 20-Year Patent Term and
Provisional Applications,
the patent section of the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the notice announcing
proposed rule changes to implement the Act, a slide presentation
and a paper that
explain the changes to US law and a list of commonly asked questions with answers.
The full text of
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS), which resulted from the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade
Negotiations is also available here. You may also want to review our request for comments
on 18-month publication of patent applications, although you should note
that the comment periods for this and the 20-year patent term rule changes
have expired.
If you need additional information, you can call our toll-free help line
(1-800-PTO-2224) that has been set up to answer your questions about the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act changes.
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