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Patent and Plant Variety Protection Remedy Clarification Act

Public Law 102-560 · S. 758 · 102nd Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Oct 28, 1992 · Commerce

Sponsor: Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Orrin Hatch

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Patent and Plant Variety Protection Remedy Clarification Act - Amends Federal patent law and the Plant Variety Protection Act to provide that neither the States, their officers, nor their instrumentalities are immune from patent or plant variety protection infringement liability. Provides the same remedies against State entities as are available against any private entity.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee
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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Oct 28, 1992Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 102-560.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 19, 1992PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 4, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
  5. Oct 3, 1992FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · Mr. Hughes asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
  8. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  9. Jun 22, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  10. Jun 15, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  11. Jun 12, 1992FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  12. May 12, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
  13. Feb 6, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
  14. Jul 17, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
  16. Mar 25, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
  17. Mar 22, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
  18. Mar 21, 1991IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.