American Inventors Protection Act

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;
• The Request for Continued Examination (RCE) patent prosecution procedure; and
• Disclosure requirements for invention promotion firms.

Political considerations

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

See also

• Patent Reform Act of 2005

References

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