117 STAT. 2456
21 USC 355 note.
VerDate 11-MAY-2000
13:59 Aug 30, 2004
Jkt 019194
PUBLIC LAW 108–173—DEC. 8, 2003 entitled to access, and on the use and disposition of any information accessed, contained in the offer of confidential access, and those restrictions and other terms of the offer of confidential access shall be considered terms of an enforceable contract. Any person provided an offer of confidential access shall review the application for the sole and limited purpose of evaluating possible infringement of the patent that is the subject of the certification under subsection (b)(2)(A)(iv) and for no other purpose, and may not disclose information of no relevance to any issue of patent infringement to any person other than a person provided an offer of confidential access. Further, the application may be redacted by the applicant to remove any information of no relevance to any issue of patent infringement. ‘‘(ii) COUNTERCLAIM TO INFRINGEMENT ACTION.— ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—If an owner of the patent or the holder of the approved application under subsection (b) for the drug that is claimed by the patent or a use of which is claimed by the patent brings a patent infringement action against the applicant, the applicant may assert a counterclaim seeking an order requiring the holder to correct or delete the patent information submitted by the holder under subsection (b) or this subsection on the ground that the patent does not claim either— ‘‘(aa) the drug for which the application was approved; or ‘‘(bb) an approved method of using the drug. ‘‘(II) NO INDEPENDENT CAUSE OF ACTION.—Subclause (I) does not authorize the assertion of a claim described in subclause (I) in any civil action or proceeding other than a counterclaim described in subclause (I). ‘‘(iii) NO DAMAGES.—An applicant shall not be entitled to damages in a civil action under clause (i) or a counterclaim under clause (ii).’’. (c) APPLICABILITY.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) apply to any proceeding under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355) that is pending on or after the date of the enactment of this Act regardless of the date on which the proceeding was commenced or is commenced. (2) NOTICE OF OPINION THAT PATENT IS INVALID OR WILL NOT BE INFRINGED.—The amendments made by subsections (a)(1) and (b)(1) apply with respect to any certification under subsection (b)(2)(A)(iv) or (j)(2)(A)(vii)(IV) of section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355) submitted on or after August 18, 2003, in an application filed under subsection (b) or (j) of that section or in an amendment or supplement to an application filed under subsection (b) or (j) of that section.
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