Process for providing timely quality indication of market trades
The New York Stock Exchange itself filed a trade-quality-indication patent in 2021 — and let it lapse for nonpayment four years later, with fifteen years of possible term still ahead of it.
Assignee: NYSE Group, Inc. · Filed 2021-05-04 · Granted 2021-11-09 · Fee lapsed 2025-12-15 · Term end (est.) 2041-05-04
US11170444 is unusually recent for anything on this site: filed May 4, 2021, granted November 9, 2021, by NYSE Group itself — a process for giving timely quality indications on market trades.
It didn't run out its clock. NYSE let a maintenance fee lapse on December 15, 2025, walking away from the patent with an estimated 2041 term-end still fifteen years out. Maintenance fees step up over a patent's life (small at 3.5 years, larger at 7.5, largest at 11.5) — a common enough moment for an assignee to decide a specific patent no longer earns its keep, even one filed by an exchange that size.
There's no scandal here, just a data point worth sitting with: even the institutions that write patents for a living sometimes conclude the fee isn't worth the protection. The idea is free now, fifteen years earlier than its filing ever suggested it would be.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an expired or public-domain patent?
Once a patent's term ends or it lapses for non-payment, the invention it claimed generally enters the public domain and can be made, used, or sold without a license from the former owner. Separate copyrights, trademarks, or other patents may still apply to a specific product. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is an estimated date the same as a legal ruling?
No. Dates here are computed from public filing data and can differ from a patent's real status in either direction. Confirm against USPTO records before relying on one.
What does a maintenance-fee lapse mean?
US patents require maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after grant. If the owner stops paying, the patent lapses early and the invention enters the public domain years before its term would otherwise end.