In order for a patent application to be considered as registrable, there are three vital elements that must be satisfied. This trinity of the "three pillars" of patentability requires that the invention claimed in a patent application has novelty, industrial applicability and an inventive step.
The element of novelty, or "newness" for a patent application is therefore crucial. As per the European Patent Convention (EPC), an invention is regarded as novel if it "does not form part of the state of the art".
State of the art is defined as any subject matter relating to the invention to which a patent application relates, which has been disclosed or made available to the public in any manner prior to the patent application filing date. Such subject matter may include a product, process, or any other relevant information regarding the invention claimed.
In the instance that public disclosure had been made for any reason prior to the filing of a patent application, it may be the case that the requirement of novelty is not fulfilled, and the invention contained therein is rendered unregistrable.
On the flip side, patent legislation in many jurisdictions offers a novelty grace period. This constitutes a specific period of time, typically 6 or 12 months prior to the date of filing a patent application, depending on the country. For example, the US and Canada, among others, provide for a 12-month grace period, whereas other countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, afford applicants a 6-month novelty grace period.
A grace period itself ensures that any disclosure concerning the patent application materials or subject matter within that set time period is not seen to be detrimental to the requirement of novelty of an invention.
As typical with any legislation, each jurisdiction sets forth varying conditions upon which an applicant can take advantage of the novelty grace period. Some countries, for example, recognise disclosure as authorized if said disclosure is made at an officially recognized event, such as an official exhibition, or a scientific presentation, so long as such official disclosure is made within the prescribed grace period time limit prior to the filing date. Other jurisdictions may exclude disclosure from the prior art if such disclosure was made in bad faith by a third party, so long as corresponding proof is provided.
If any unauthorized disclosure has been made, it is classified as part of the "prior art". Prior art constitutes anything that is similar in nature to the invention contained within a patent application, and had been disclosed prior to the application filing date.
Prior art can comprise a wide variety of matter, including articles, scientific periodicals, pending patent applications, both commercially available and unavailable products, oral presentations, and even social media content. The only exceptions to any related disclosure being considered as prior art are if the disclosed subject matter is confidential and related to government, trade secrets or other applicable circumstances, or if the material was insufficiently disclosed.
With prior art being a vastly broad concept, it is vital for IP applicants to carefully and closely analyze any potential previously disclosed subject matter to avoid the possibility of their invention being considered as not novel or new. The option of performing a search is highly useful in this regard. For example, a PCT application will be subject to an international search, undertaken by a competent International Searching Authority (ISA), resulting in an International Search Report (ISR).
An ISR details any prior art found by the search which may impact the patentability of the subject matter contained within the international application. A preliminary Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority (WOISA) is also provided, advising whether the invention claimed in the international application appears to meet all three of the patentability criteria. Similar searches can be performed for national and regional patent applications, depending on the jurisdiction.