In 1984, the "Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act," more commonly known as the "Hatch-Waxman Act" after its sponsors, established the modern regime for resolving pharmaceutical patent infringement disputes between generic and branded drug manufacturers in situations in which a generic maker seeks Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market a drug that is bioequivalent to an approved branded drug. The Patent Act, 35 U.S.C. §271(e)(2), establishes that submission of an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) by a generic pharmaceutical maker to the FDA constitutes patent infringement (even though such an application technically is not a use of the patented invention). Upon such a filing, the brand manufacturer can then commence a patent infringement suit, commonly known as ANDA litigation.