What is the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA)?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

The Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA) is a significant piece of legislation that affected design patent law in the United States. According to the MPEP:

“On December 18, 2012, the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012 (PLTIA) was signed into law. The PLTIA among other things sets forth provisions implementing the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (“Hague Agreement”).”

Key points about the PLTIA:

• It was signed into law on December 18, 2012.
• It implemented provisions of the Hague Agreement in the U.S.
• It changed the term of design patents from 14 to 15 years for applications filed on or after May 13, 2015.
• The provisions related to design patents took effect on May 13, 2015.