Hatch patent bill clears Senate Judiciary Committee May 22.
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
HATCH PATENT BILL WOULD GUARANTEE 17-YEAR PROTECTION FOR "DILIGENT" APPLICANTS by providing patent restoration for any "unusual" administrative delays at the patent office, including failure to "issue a patent within three years after the actual filing date of the application." The provision is part of a revised version of Sen. Orrin Hatch's (R-Utah) omnibus patent bill (S 507), which was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee May 22 by voice vote. "Concerns were raised that S 507, as drafted, did not preclude the possibility that an applicant who is diligently prosecuting a patent will receive less than 17 years of patent protection," Hatch explained.