Legal Definitions - Patent Act of 1952

The Patent Act of 1952 is a federal law that governs the registration and protection of patents in the United States. It was enacted in 1952 and is still in effect today.

The Act made several changes to the requirements for obtaining a patent. For example, it eliminated the requirement that an invention must involve a "flash of genius" to be patentable. It also made "means-plus-function" claims valid again, and narrowed the doctrine of contributoryinfringement.

Here are some examples of how the Patent Act of 1952 has affected patent law:

• Before the Act, it was much harder to obtain a patent for a combination of existing inventions. The Act made it easier to obtain these patents, as long as the combination was not obvious to someone skilled in the relevant field.
• The Act also clarified the rules for writing patent claims. "Means-plus-function" claims are a type of claim that describes an invention in terms of its function, rather than its structure. The Act made it clear that these claims are valid, as long as they are written in a specific way.
• The Act narrowed the doctrine of contributory infringement, which is when someone helps another person infringe a patent. Before the Act, it was easier to be found liable for contributory infringement. The Act made it harder to be found liable for this type of infringement.

Overall, the Patent Act of 1952 has had a significant impact on patent law in the United States. It has made it easier to obtain certain types of patents, while also clarifying the rules for writing patent claims and narrowing the doctrine of contributory infringement.