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S3960FEDERALFederal Billfiled

New Law Creates 'Good Faith' Exception for Patent and Trademark Fines

Original title: A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to provide a good faith exception to the imposition of fines for false assertions and certifications, and for other purposes.

Record date · December 17, 2024

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Official description

A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to provide a good faith exception to the imposition of fines for false assertions and certifications, and for other purposes.

Why it matters

Patent and trademark applicants and holders now have a legal defense against automatic financial penalties, potentially reducing costs for businesses that make honest clerical or administrative errors in their filings.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Patent and trademark applicants

These entities may now use a good faith defense to avoid fines for false assertions or certifications in their filings.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did this change take effect?
The law was approved and became effective on December 17, 2024.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift toward intent-based enforcement

The law moves away from strict liability for false filings by introducing a subjective 'good faith' standard for avoiding fines.

United States Code

Connected Entities

Congress, Dec. 3, June 20 and 6 more
OrganizationCongress“The legislative body that considered the bill”Map →
dateDec. 3“Date of Congressional Record consideration”Map →
dateJune 20“Date of Congressional Record consideration”Map →
OrganizationHouse of Representatives“The House of Representatives considered and passed S. 3960”Map →
bill numberS. 3960“Senate bill number”Map →
dateDecember 17, 2024“Date of bill approval”Map →
OrganizationSenate“The Senate considered and passed S. 3960”Map →
otherTitle 35“Specific title of the code being amended”Map →
otherUnited States Code“Title of the law being amended”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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