In Brief: GATT patent extensions

Executive Summary

GATT patent extensions: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should withdraw its final determination published in the Federal Register June 7 stating that Waxman/Hatch Sec. 156 extensions will not be added on top of the new 20-year patent terms enacted in the Uruguay Rounds Agreement Act, according to a June 12 letter to PTO Commissioner Bruce Lehman from Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America President Gerald Mossinghoff. PhRMA maintains that the PTO's argument for the several meanings of "original expiration date" is flawed because the "term appears only once in the entire patent statute" and simply refers to the date of expiration before a Waxman/Hatch extension is granted ("The Pink Sheet" June 12, p. 9)...