Practical guides on US patent expiration, patent term adjustment, extensions, and maintenance fees.
A continuation patent can be granted decades after its parent was filed but still expire at the same time. Understanding continuation chains is essential for accurate expiration tracking.
The FDA regulatory review process can consume years of a patent's life. Section 156 allows patent owners to apply for an extension to partially compensate for that lost time.
A terminal disclaimer voluntarily shortens a patent's life to the term of a related patent. It can significantly change when a patent actually expires.
Design patents expire 15 years from grant, not 20 years from filing. Understanding these differences matters when tracking ornamental design protection.
Utility patents require maintenance fee payments at regular intervals after grant. Missing a payment can end a patent's life early, sometimes intentionally.
When the USPTO delays patent prosecution, applicants can get extra days added to their patent's term. Here's how PTA works and when it matters.
Finding a patent's expiration date isn't as simple as adding 20 years to the filing date. Here's what you actually need to check, and how to do it quickly.
US utility patents last 20 years from the filing date, but the real expiration depends on patent term adjustment, extensions, and maintenance fees. Here's what affects it.