American Inventors Protection Act Explained

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 ^[1]

• 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;
• The Request for Continued Examination (RCE) patent prosecution procedure; and
• Disclosure requirements for invention promotion firms.^{[2] [3]}

Political considerations

Large corporations generally supported the bill. Independent inventors generally opposed the bill.^[4]

See also

• Patent Reform Act of 2005

Further reading

• The American Inventor’s Protection Act: A Legislative History, Wake Forest Intellectual Property Law Journal
• J. Richardson and K. Sibley, THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COMMUNICATIONS OMNIBUS REFORM ACT OF 1999: an Overview for IP Practitioners, North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

Notes and References

1. Web site: American Inventor's Protection Act of 1999. 2021-08-02. www.uspto.gov. en-US.
2. Web site: Invention promoter and promotion firm complaints. 2021-08-02. www.uspto.gov. en-US.
3. http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0184-invention-promotion-firms Invention Promotion Firms
4. https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2000/04/01/277559/index.htm Edward Robinson "They Saved Small Business When corporate America tried to seize the patent system from independent inventors, this Boston couple came to the rescue.", Fortune Small Business Magazine, April 1, 2000