Title 43, Public LandsRelease 119-102
§2506 Limitations of Suits to Annul Patents
Title 43 › CHAPTER 43 — SUSPENDED ENTRIES AND CLAIMS; PATENTS › § 2506
Summary
The United States has only six years from the date a patent is issued to file a lawsuit to cancel that patent. After those six years, the government cannot bring a case to annul the patent.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §2506
Public Lands, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Suits by the United States to vacate and annul any patent shall only be brought within six years after the date of the issuance of such patents.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Section was formerly classified to section 1166 of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 2506
Title 43, Public Lands
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102