A bill to authorize appropriations to the Patent and Trademark Office in the Department of Commerce, and for other purposes.
Public Law 97-247 · H.R. 6260 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 27, 1982 · Commerce
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI-2)
Cosponsors (6): Rep. Jack Brooks, Rep. Patricia Schroeder,
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.
Authorizes appropriations for FY 1983-1985 for the Patent and Trademark Office. Requires the use of these funds to reduce by 50 percent the payment of fees by independent inventors, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses.
Authorizes supplemental appropriations for FY 1982.
Requires the Commissioner of Patents to charge fees according to a schedule set forth in this Act rather than establishing fees himself according to a prescribed formula.
Permits the Commissioner to accept the payment of maintenance fees after the six-month grace period if the delay is unavoidable. Protects the use or manufacture by others of anything covered by such a patent during the period between the grace period and the actual payment of the fee. Permits the Commissioner to require a surcharge for the delay.
Directs the Commissioner to establish fees for other unspecified services to cover their estimated cost to the Office.
Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to grant the Commissioner of Patents discretion to establish fees for registering a trademark and requires the exclusive use of such fees for processing registrations and other services related to trademarks.
Eliminates the ceiling on the number of examiners-in-chief in the Office.
Revises the patent application procedures. Permits the Commissioner to certify a correction of inventor in an issued patent even though such error did not involve joint inventors.
Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to permit the Commissioner, upon petition rather than unilaterally, to declare that an interference exists between two trademarks.
Establishes a patent term of 14 years for designs.
Permits a contract involving a patent or any right under a patent to contain a provision requiring arbitration of any dispute relating to patent validity or infringement arising under the contract. Allows both parties, even without such a provision, to still agree in writing to binding arbitration. Sets forth the arbitration conditions and procedures.
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.
- Aug 27, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-247.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 18, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 12, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jul 6, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 9, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 8, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- May 17, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- May 11, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- May 4, 1982CommitteeCommittee · 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.