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HR 3957 101th Congress House Commerce Biotechnology Foreign Trade and International Finance Import restrictions Patents Restrictive trade practices

To amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to patents on certain processes.

Introduced: February 6, 1990 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 101st Congress ended
It never became law before the 101st Congress (1989–1990) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 8 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 25, 1990
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Mar 22, 1990
Executive Comment Requested from USTR.
Mar 9, 1990
Executive Comment Requested from Commerce, NIH.
Mar 9, 1990
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration of Justice.
Feb 12, 1990
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Feb 6, 1990
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Feb 6, 1990
Referred to the House Committee on Judiciary.
Feb 6, 1990
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amends Federal patent law to provide that a process of making a product shall not be considered obvious (and shall thus be patentable) if an essential material used in the process is novel and nonobvious.

Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to declare as an unlawful trade practice the importation into the United States of articles made or processed by means of a biotechnological material infringing on an enforceable U.S. patent.

What's happening now September 25, 1990

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3957: To amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to patents on certain processes.. 101st Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-3957/
MLA
"H.R. 3957: To amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to patents on certain processes.." 101st Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-3957/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3957, 101st Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-3957/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3957: To amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to patents on certain processes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-3957/)
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