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patentability

patentability

1 7.5
A condition that lets a new invention get legal protection
  • noun
  • /ˌpætəntəˈbɪləti/
  • Specialized
: patentabilidad
  • One of the most important things in obtaining a patent is doing a patentability search to see whether or not there is any "prior art" already out there.
  • test for patentability

Examples

  • The university then assesses the invention's patentability and economic potential, provides services, and covers all costs involved in the patenting process.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Before applying for a patent, inventors must assess the patentability of their creation to ensure it meets legal requirements.

  • The patentability of these and other applications is now being reviewed.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The Supreme Court has held that the patentability of a work does not bar the work from copyright protection.

    Academic text (2016)
  • In that case, the court wrote that "The Patent Act sets out the conditions of patentability in three sections."

    Blog text (8)
  • The federal government has taken a new position on the patentability of human genes: Genes are products of nature that should not be eligible for a patent.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Novelty and nonobviousness are two tests for patentability of an invention, but not the only tests.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The trials of the hot-blast patent are remembered in the legal world as producing a precedent concerning the patentability of subject matter.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Some inventions face a newly imposed test for patentability even if they meet the familiar and customary requirements of being novel and non-obvious.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Courts have thus employed differing patentability screening tests for process inventions encompassing fundamental principles.

    Academic text (2009)

How Patentable

patentability
  • Specialized
1 7.5
unpatentable
  • Specialized
1 7.4

Surface Forms

patentability singular

Morphology

patentability = patentable (transparent) = patent + able + ity

Formed by regular derivation patent → patentable → patentability; learners who know 'patent' and the productive suffixes '-able' and '-ity' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word patentability comes from patent (from a Latin root meaning 'to be open') and the parts -able and -ity, where -able shows 'ability'. A patent was once an 'open' official letter that gave someone a right, so patentability means an invention's ability to be officially recognized and given legal protection.