---
type: "LegalText"
title: "35 U.S.C. § 285"
description: "Attorney fees"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 35
title_name: "PATENTS"
chapter_number: "29"
chapter_name: "REMEDIES FOR INFRINGEMENT OF PATENT, AND OTHER ACTIONS"
section: "285"
citation: "35 U.S.C. § 285"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc35@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t35/s285"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-35/usc35.xml"
source_hash: "c898a88b057780ae542bdfd7ba56ea61d55ccfd4110adeeed77a1d4bd979b6b3"
raw_snapshot_hash: "736cab508592dcf50013a1aed5ab108f72fd8493e76afc46848cdc35da38bbe3"
text_hash: "807f32445d6fda5bce76324470adde5a073d881de28469831a36664347899d08"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 35 U.S.C. § 285 - Attorney fees

## Text

The court in exceptional cases may award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party.

(July 19, 1952, ch. 950, 66 Stat. 813.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on Title 35, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 70, part (R.S. 4921, amended (1) Mar. 3, 1897, ch. 391, § 6, 29 Stat. 694, (2) Feb. 18, 1922, ch. 58, § 8, 42 Stat. 392, (3) Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 726, § 1, 60 Stat. 778). This section is substantially the same as the corresponding provision in R.S. 4921; “in exceptional cases” has been added as expressing the intention of the present statute as shown by its legislative history and as interpreted by the courts.