PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 28, 1996
Pharmaceutical Equity Act of 1996 - Extends for a two-year period the term of any patent in force on September 24, 1984, and on this Act's effective date, that claims a drug product or a method of using or manufacturing it from the product's expiration date if: (1) an exemption became effective for the drug product before September 24, 1984; (2) the regulatory review period for such product exceeded 120 months or 60 months, as appropriate. Provides that during such extensions, the rights in the extended patents shall be the same as those that existed before their expirations, thereby guarding against patent infringements during the extensions. Requires: (1) the patentee to notify the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks of such patent extended number; and (2) the Commissioner to confirm the patent extension by placing a notice thereof in the official file of the patent and to publish an appropriate notice in the Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark Office.
People & committees
Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA] · R–PA
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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