Prior Art
/ˈpraɪər ɑrt/
Definitions
- (n.) Existing knowledge or inventions relevant to a patent's claims, assessed to determine novelty and non-obviousness.
The patent application was rejected due to extensive prior art that disclosed the same invention.
Related terms
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Commentary
Prior art is crucial in patent law for evaluating whether an invention qualifies for patent protection; drafters should specify the temporal and geographic scope when citing prior art.
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