Nah, expiration is 20 years from the earliest priority date. So if they're claiming 1996, the patent will expire in 2016. The backlog used to be problematic al

Nah, expiration is 20 years from the earliest priority date. So if they're claiming 1996, the patent will expire in 2016. The backlog used to be problematic along the lines you're thinking, but they adjusted the rules in 1995.