word
Legal
Prior Art
PRY-er ART
/ˈpraɪər ɑːrt/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
PRYerART
Dictionary meaning
All evidence that an invention is already known before a given patent application's filing date, including earlier patents, publications, public disclosures, or products; prior art can be used to invalidate a patent.
Examples
- The defendant's legal team found prior art that predated the plaintiff's patent by three years.
- A thorough prior art search is essential before filing a patent application.
Synonyms: state of the art, existing technology
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