An exception is the United States, where patents filed prior to 8 June 1995 expire 17 years after the publication date of the patent, but application extensions make it possible for a patent to issue much later than normally expected (see submarine patents). The various MP3-related patents expire on dates ranging from 2007 to 2017 in the U.S. Patents filed for anything disclosed in ISO CD 11172 a year or more after its publication are questionable. If only the known MP3 patents filed by December 1992 are considered, then MP3 decoding has been patent-free in the US since 22 September 2015 when U.S. Patent 5,812,672 expired which had a PCT filing in October 1992. If the longest-running patent mentioned in the aforementioned references is taken as a measure, then the MP3 technology will be patent-free in the United States on 30 December 2017 when U.S. Patent 5,703,999, held by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and administered by Technicolor, expires.
An exception is the United States , where patents filed prior to 8 June 1995 expire 17 years after the publication date of the patent , but application extensions make it possible for a patent to issue much later than normally expected ( see submarine patents ) . The various MP3-related patents expire on dates ranging from 2007 to 2017 in the U.S. Patents filed for anything disclosed in ISO CD 11172 a year or more after its publication are questionable . If only the known MP3 patents filed by December 1992 are considered , then MP3 decoding has been patent - free in the US since 22 September 2015 when U.S. Patent 5,812,672 expired which had a PCT filing in October 1992 . If the longest - running patent mentioned in the aforementioned references is taken as a measure , then the MP3 technology will be patent - free in the United States on 30 December 2017 when U.S. Patent 5,703,999 , held by the Fraunhofer - Gesellschaft and administered by Technicolor , expires .
How long does it take for patents to expire in the United States?
How long does it take for patents to expire in the United States ?
17 years after the publication date
17 years after the publication date