AIA patent law reform is effective

01-12-2012

Paul Sutton

On September 16, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA).

On September 16, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). This law amends Title 35 of the US Code, and represents the most significant change to the US patent system in more than half a century.

There are several controversial provisions of the AIA. Perhaps the most significant is the law’s change, effective March 16, 2013, from a ‘first-to-invent’ system in awarding patents to a ‘first inventor-to-file’ system. This article focuses upon specific provisions in the AIA which took effect on September 16, 2012, the one-year anniversary of the AIA’s being signed into law.

Pre-issuance submissions


AIA, patent applications, USPTO

WIPR