DEFENSIVE DISCLOSURE

defensive disclosure.Patents. The deliberate publication of details about an invention in order

to render it prior art and preclude others from getting a patent on the same invention. • This can be

done  formally,  by  filing  for  public  disclosure  through  the  Statutory  Invention  Registration  and

publishing  the  abstract  in  the  Official  Gazette  of  the  U.S.  Patent  and  Trademark  Office,  or

privately,  by  publishing  it in  an  independent  journal  that  will  probably  be  consulted  by  a  patent

examiner. Once published, the information becomes prior art and precludes issuance of a patent on

that   invention.   —   Also   termed   defensive   publication.   See   STATUTORY   INVENTION

REGISTRATION. [Cases: Patents    115. C.J.S. Patents § 210.] [Blacks Law 8th]