Public Disclosure Grace Periods Around the World -

Public disclosure prior to a patent application filing can present a significant hurdle to patentability in most countries because of absolute novelty requirements. However, to soften these requirements, many countries have grace period provisions that cover some form of inventor originated or derived public disclosures. The May 2017 issue of Sterne Kessler's Global Patent Prosecution Newsletter includes information on grace periods and also provides a comprehensive table and map outlining these provisions around the globe.