What is a terminal disclaimer?

A terminal disclaimer is a statement filed by a patent applicant or owner that disclaims or dedicates to the public the entire term or any terminal part of the term of a patent or patent to be granted. It is typically used to overcome nonstatutory double patenting rejections.

The MPEP states: A terminal disclaimer is a statement in which a patentee or applicant disclaims or dedicates to the public the entire term or any terminal part of the term of a patent or patent to be granted.

To learn more:

• terminal disclaimer
• double patenting
• patent term