This article is first in a series focusing on various issues related to Patent Term Adjustment.  Part 1 is a general overview of how to calculate patent term adjustment, without addressing the numerous factors that can affect patent term adjustment that will be examined in future articles.

Why PTA Exists

Under the pre-GATT regime, Patent Term Adjustment ("PTA") did not exist in the U.S. because patent term was 17 years from issuance.  Consequently, any delay during examination, on the part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") or Applicants, was not a concern.  In fact, during this time, Applicants were in a way incentivized to, and sometimes would, delay examination to prolong their effective patent term, particularly since at the time publication of applications did not occur until issuance of the patent.  However, in 1995 GATT was adopted in an effort to harmonize U.S. patent term with the rest of the world, with patent term in the U.S. now being limited to 20 years from the earliest effective filing date.  As a result, any delays during examination would now erode a patent's period of enforceability, which could cost Applicants millions of dollars or more.  Unfortunately, the onus was only on Applicants to avoid delays during examination, resulting in USPTO delays costing Applicants days or years of patent term without any recourse.  In an effort remedy this, Congress created PTA.

Download - Calculating Patent Term Adjustment: Part 1

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.