Glossary · Intellectual Property
Prior Art
prior-art-df9a53198367946f-2026-07-28
- Type
- Glossary
- Jurisdiction
- National
- Date
- 2026-07-28
- Topic
- Intellectual Property
The body of publicly available knowledge, including earlier patents, publications, products, and public uses, that existed before a patent application's effective filing date. An invention cannot be patented if the prior art already discloses it or makes it obvious to a person skilled in the field. Accused infringers routinely hunt for prior art to invalidate the patents asserted against them.
Definition
The body of publicly available knowledge, including earlier patents, publications, products, and public uses, that existed before a patent application's effective filing date. An invention cannot be patented if the prior art already discloses it or makes it obvious to a person skilled in the field. Accused infringers routinely hunt for prior art to invalidate the patents asserted against them.
Prior Art. The body of publicly available knowledge, including earlier patents, publications, products, and public uses, that existed before a patent application's effective filing date. An invention cannot be patented if the prior art already discloses it or makes it obvious to a person skilled in the field. Accused infringers routinely hunt for prior art to invalidate the patents asserted against them. Example: A 1998 conference paper describing the same compression technique was prior art that invalidated the patent.