Legal Definitions - American Inventors Protection Act

The American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) is a law passed in 1999 to protect inventors and their inventions. It has several provisions that aim to make the patent process fairer and more accessible to inventors.

Some of the key provisions of the AIPA include:

• Cracking down on companies that deceive inventors with false promises of patent protection
• Reducing patent fees to make it easier for inventors to afford the patent process
• Providing a defense against patent infringement for inventors who created their invention in good faith before the patent was filed
• Extending the patent term if the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) caused a delay in issuing the patent
• Requiring the publication of patent applications 18 months after they are filed, unless the inventor requests otherwise

For example, let's say an inventor creates a new type of solar panel and files a patent application. If the PTO takes a long time to review the application and issue the patent, the inventor may lose valuable time to market their invention. The AIPA allows the inventor to extend the patent term to make up for the PTO's delay.

Another example is an inventor who creates a new type of smartphone app. If the inventor wants to keep their invention secret until it is ready for market, they can request that their patent application not be published until they are ready to reveal their invention. However, if they do not make this request, their application will be published 18 months after it is filed, which can help prevent others from patenting the same invention.