> The idea is to extend the useful life of the patent by delaying the application's completion as much as possible. That hasn't worked for around 20 years - th

> The idea is to extend the useful life of the patent by delaying the application's completion as much as possible. That hasn't worked for around 20 years - the "if issued term" clock starts ticking the day that you apply. This is a huge problem for drug companies because their applications take a long time to issue.