All US plant patents
Every US plant patent granted since 1931 — 33,396 of them, of which 32,389 record a cultivar name and 14,642 have already expired. Each has its own page with the official expiration date, the record it came from, and the claim.
Coming off patent
Cultivars whose protection ends within the next twelve months.Already free
Cultivars that have entered the public domain.When they come off patent
Counted by the official expiration date on each patent, not by filing date plus twenty years.
| Decade | Patents expiring |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1970s | 1 |
| 1980s | 1 |
| 1990s | 720 |
| 2000s | 2,859 |
| 2010s | 4,773 |
| 2020snow | 9,594 |
| 2030s | 10,686 |
| 2040s | 4,751 |
A patent expiring frees the plant, not the name. Trademarks renew indefinitely, so check the mark separately before selling under a brand name.