35 U.S.C. 296, Liability of States, instrumentalities of States, and State officials for infringement of patents

Executive summary:

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Source and Index. This document contains Section 296 ("Liability of States, instrumentalities of States, and State officials for infringement of patents") of the U.S. Patent Act. This section was taken from the Eighth Edition, Eighth Revision of the MPEP (July 2010). This page was last updated in January 2011. You may return to the section index to find a particular section. Alternatively, you may search the Patent Act using the search box that appears on the left side of every page of BitLaw--you may restrict your search to Statutes on the search results page.

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35 U.S.C. 296 Liability of States, instrumentalities of States, and State officials for infringement of patents.

(a) IN GENERAL. - Any State, any instrumentality of a State, and any officer or employee of a State or instrumentality of a State, acting in his official capacity, shall not be immune, under the eleventh amendment of the Constitution of the United States or under any other doctrine of sovereign immunity, from suit in Federal court by any person, including any governmental or nongovernmental entity, for infringement of a patent under section 271, or for any other violation under this title.

(b) REMEDIES. - In a suit described in subsection (a) for a violation described in that subsection, remedies (including remedies both at law and in equity) are available for the violation to the same extent as such remedies are available for such a violation in a suit against any private entity. Such remedies include damages, interest, costs, and treble damages under section 284, attorney fees under section 285, and the additional remedy for infringement of design patents under section 289.

(Added Oct. 28, 1992, Public Law 102-560, sec. 2(a)(2), 106 Stat. 4230.)