What does it mean if a patent has a priority date?

A priority date refers to the earliest date at which a patent application or the subject matter of the patent was filed or publicly disclosed, establishing the timeline for the patenting process. This date is crucial because it determines the novelty and non-obviousness of the invention relative to other disclosures or filings that occur afterward.

Filing or disclosing an invention before this priority date means that your application could potentially affect the patentability of inventions filed after this date. Therefore, the priority date is instrumental in the context of patent examination to assess whether an invention is new and inventive over prior art that may have been disclosed after this date.

In the context of the other choices provided, they may reflect related concepts but do not accurately define the priority date. The date a patent is granted refers specifically to the conclusion of the examination process and does not reflect the timing of the initial filing or disclosure. Similarly, when a patent application is published, it typically occurs 18 months post-filing and does not mark the priority date. Finally, while it is possible for an invention to be first filed in any jurisdiction to establish a priority date, this does not capture the essence of what constitutes the priority date regarding public disclosure.