Hatch patent bill revision would guarantee 17-year patent term for "diligent" applicants.

OMNIBUS PATENT BILL WOULD GUARANTEE 17-YEAR PATENT PROTECTION FOR "DILIGENT" applicants by providing patent restoration for any "unusual" administrative delays at the patent office, including failure to "issue a patent within three years after the actual filing date of the application," under a revised version of Sen. Hatch's (R-Utah) omnibus patent bill (S 507) reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee May 22 by voice vote. "Concerns were raised that S 507, as drafted, did not preclude the possibility that an applicant who is diligently prosecuting a patent will receive less than 17 years of patent protection," Hatch explained.