At 01:07 PM 7/17/00 -0400, Michael Motyka wrote: >> Cam you say "patent" at least for https, Oh I'm longing for September 20th >> !! (The pessimistic side me predicts that on or around that date the NSA/RSA >> will announce >> some sort of legal maneuver to extend or complicate the end of the patent. >> >Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it the case that only an act of >Congress can extend the term of a patent? > >Mike Probably. But congress does give its agencies power to regulate the details. E.g., FDA, EPA, DOT, etc. Patent duration may be a detail. Congress/USPO certainly don't regard patent-time as anything but a carrot, nothing sacred about it. E.g., I just read that if you take your drug to OTC status you get three extra years patent protection. Various pharmcos with expiring IP are doing that. Others milk the 500% markup on Rx (vs. OTC) til its gone. Time will tell.
