What is the standard term for a utility patent?

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Source: FAQ (MPEP-Based) BlueIron Update: 2024-09-30 10 Rules 5 Related FAQs 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 standard term for a utility patent is 20 years from the filing date of the earliest application to which the patent claims priority. This is known as the “twenty-year term.” As stated in the MPEP, For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, Section 532(a)(1) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Public Law 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809 (1994)) amended 35 U.S.C. 154 to provide that the term of a patent (other than a design patent) begins on the date the patent issues and ends on the date that is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States . Related Rules from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 10 rules Collapse Patent Term Is Twenty Years From Filing Date MPEP 2701 Term of Patent Is 20 Years From Filing Date MPEP 2701 Required Patent Term Begins on Issuance and Ends at 20 Years From Filing MPEP 2701 Term Ends at 20 Years From Filing Date MPEP 2701 Patent Term Ends at 20 Years from Earliest Priority Date for Post-1995 Continuations MPEP 2701 Patent Term Ends at US Filing Date MPEP 2701 Term Is Greater of Seventeen Years from Grant or Twenty Years from Filing MPEP 2701 Reference Patent’s Twenty-Year Term Longer Than Seventeen-Year Term MPEP 2701 Priority Not Considered in Patent Term Determination MPEP 2701 Prohibited Patent Terms Reduced by Terminal Disclaimers MPEP 2701 Other Related FAQs 5 FAQs Collapse How do continuing applications affect patent term? How is the patent term calculated for design patents? How long is the term for design patents? How does foreign priority affect patent term? What are patent term extensions and adjustments?