Patent and Trademark Office Authorization Act of 1991
Public Law 102-204 · H.R. 3531 · 102nd Congress · began in the House
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Dec 10, 1991 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. William Hughes (D-NJ-2)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Carlos Moorhead
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Patent and Trademark Office Authorization Act of 1991 - Authorizes appropriations to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Office) for FY 1992.
Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to: (1) repeal the 69 percent surcharge on all Office fees; and (2) require the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks (Commissioner) to establish such surcharges (to meet deficit reduction goals) for FY 1991 through FY 1995.
Allows appropriations to remain available until expended.
Amends Federal patent law to direct the Secretary of Commerce to furnish certain congressional committees with a financial status report on Office activities.
Directs the Commissioner to charge specified patent fees. Authorizes the Commissioner to adjust such fees annually to reflect the Consumer Price Index.
Requires the Commissioner to maintain, for use by the public, collections of United States patents, foreign patent documents, and United States trademark registrations. Prohibits the imposition of fees directly for use of either the collections, or for use of the public patent or trademark search rooms or libraries. Authorizes the Commissioner to establish reasonable fees for public access to the Office's automated search systems.
Requires the Commissioner to submit an annual status report to the Congress on the Office's automated search systems and upon public access to such systems. Permits the Commissioner to charge reasonable fees for such access.
Prohibits the Commissioner from entering into exchange agreements with respect to automatic data processing resources during FY 1992. Exempts from such prohibition agreements relating to data for automation programs entered into with an international entity or foreign government.
Authorizes the Commissioner to indemnify Office personnel who participated in the Office's Law School Tuition Assistance Program against tax liability incurred as a result of program payments made to law schools in specified tax years.
Includes among the Commissioner's duties the authority to identify, assess, and forecast the technology of patented inventions and their utility to industry.
Requires the Comptroller General to report to certain congressional committees at least once every five years (currently annually) on the manner in which agencies implement certain patent rights in inventions made with Federal assistance.
Directs the Commissioner to: (1) establish a test program to disseminate certain patent information; and (2) report to the Congress on its implementation within a certain deadline.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Dec 10, 1991Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 102-204.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 3, 1991PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 27, 1991FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Pursuant to the provisions of S. Con. Res. 85, enrollment corrections have been made.
- Nov 26, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Nov 25, 1991FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Hughes moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Nov 19, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- Oct 9, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.