Definition
The priority date is the effective filing date used to judge novelty and obviousness, and it can come from an earlier related application such as a provisional or foreign filing.
Why It Matters Legally
The priority date often decides whether a competitor’s disclosure counts as prior art. Securing the earliest possible date can be the difference between a valid patent and an invalid one.
Example Use Case
Because its provisional was filed first, a company’s patent survives a challenge based on a competitor’s publication that appeared two months later.
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Related Terms
Filing Date, Provisional Application, Prior Art, Patent Family, PCT Application