1

I am referring to this patent for a locking mechanism for a folding knife.

This Reddit discussion seems to imply that there is some confusion about whether the patent has expired or not. Why are so many people unsure about this? Is it possible for the patent to be valid 20 years after it was filed?

Improve this question
2
  • Possible duplicate of How long are patents valid?
    – Maca
    Jun 30, 2017 at 4:18
  • The correct expiry date seems to be given in the original post as 12 July 2016. Working out the expiry date for US patents can be a bit tricky, but there is always a right answer available after a bit of research.
    – Maca
    Jun 30, 2017 at 4:21

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

For US patents filed on or after June 8th, 1995 the expiration date is 20 years from the filing date or priority date if it claims priority from an earlier patent. This Wikipedia article covers patent terms in more detail. Thus for this patent, the expiration date should be July 12th, 2016. There are provisions for adjustments if the patenting process is delayed excessively, but since this patent issued less than 2 years after filing, I can't imaging that is the issue here.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .