After what date is PTA available for filed patents?

The correct answer, which indicates that patent term adjustment (PTA) is available for patents filed after May 29, 2000, aligns with the legislative changes introduced by the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999. This act established the PTA provisions, which aim to compensate for delays in the patent examination process and extend the term of a patent accordingly.

PTA provisions are intended to incentivize prompt examination and address the timeliness of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in handling patent applications. As a result, any application filed on or after May 29, 2000, may be eligible for PTA based on the specific delays that may have occurred during the prosecution of the application.

Prior to this date, no formal PTA mechanism existed that allowed for such adjustments, which makes this date significant in the context of patent law and the rights of inventors.