American Inventors Protection Act

The American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) is a United States federal law enacted on November 29, 1999, as Public Law 106-113. In 2002, the Intellectual Property and High Technology Technical Amendments Act of 2002, Public Law 107-273, amended AIPA.

AIPA contains significant changes to American Patent Law. AIPA added
 * An "earlier invention" defense for business method patents – 35 U.S.C. §273;
 * Publication of US patent applications for foreign published applications – 35 U.S.C. §122;
 * Patent term restoration for delays caused by the Patent and Trademark Office – 35 U.S.C. §154;
 * The Request for Continued Examination (RCE) patent prosecution procedure; and
 * Disclosure requirements for invention promotion firms.

Political considerations
Large corporations generally supported the bill. Independent inventors generally opposed the bill.