Patent Term Adjustment

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is an extension of a patent's duration, granted to compensate for delays in the patent approval process by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). If the USPTO takes longer than a specified time to review a patent application, the patent holder can receive additional time—often a few months to years—before the patent expires. This extension ensures that inventors have adequate time to profit from their inventions, balancing the interests of innovation and time lost during the examination process. Essentially, PTA helps protect the value of a patent as it moves through approval.