remember this time comes off the term of the patent) :)
Not at the moment, no. As I understand it, patents in the US are judged from the time of approval, not the time of filing, so the length of the approval process doesn't affect the amount of time a patent is in effect.
This makes sense. Otherwise, a competitor could tie any disagreeable patent up in litigation, ensuring that the patent would be in effect for only a very short period of time.
Not at the moment, no. As I understand it, patents in the US are judged from the time of approval, not the time of filing, so the length of the approval process doesn't affect the amount of time a patent is in effect.
This makes sense. Otherwise, a competitor could tie any disagreeable patent up in litigation, ensuring that the patent would be in effect for only a very short period of time.