Prior art definition: Top Countries

United States of America 

1. An invention which was known or used by others in US, or patented or described in a printed publication in US or a foreign country, before the invention by the applicant;

2. An invention which was patented or described in a printed publication in US or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in US, more than one year before the filing date;

3. An invention abandoned by the applicant;

4. An invention which was patented, or was the subject of an inventor's certificate filed by applicant or his legal representatives or assignees in a foreign country more than 12 months prior to the filing date;

5. An invention which was described in a published US patent application by another or in a patent filed by another before the invention by the applicant (for the PCT international applications, only if they designate US and are published in English language);

6. During the course of interference, another inventor establishes that, before the invention date, he/she invented the invention and not abandoned, surpressed or concealed the invention; or another inventor made the invention in US before the invention date and he/she had not abandoned, surpressed or concealed the invention.

Japan

1. Anything which, before the filing date (priority date), was publicly known or worked, published, or made available to the public through electric telecommunication lines.
2. Contents of certain Japanese patent and utility model applications with an earlier filing date (priority date).

India

Publication in any document or used in India or elsewhere in the world before the filing date (priority date).

 Australia

1. Information from documents made publicly available or information made publicly available through doing an act before the filing date (priority date), whether in Australia or elsewhere.
2. For deciding whether an invention is novel, information contained in a subsequently published Australian patent application (including all international applications) with an earlier filing date (priority date), if the information was also contained in the application at its filing date.

Canada

1. Everything available to the public before the filing date (priority date).
2. Contents of Canadian patent applications with an earlier filing date (priority date).

China

1. Public disclosure in any publication, or anything which has been publicly used or made known to the public in China by any other means, before the filing date (priority date).
2. Contents of subsequently published Chinese patent and utility model applications with an earlier filing date (priority date).

France

1. Everything made available to the public by a written or oral description, use, or in any other way before the filing date (priority date).
2. Contents of French patent applications and European and international patent applications designating France with an earlier filing date (priority date) published on or after that date.

United Kingdom 

1. Everything made accessible to the public by a written or oral description, use or in any other way before the filing date (priority date).
2. Contents of UK patent applications with an earlier filing date (priority date) published on or after that date.