Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Disputes definition

What does Disputes mean? In legal practice, disputes are disagreements giving rise to potential legal rights and remedies between parties, addressed through dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration and ADR such as mediation and negotiation. The term is descriptive rather than a defined statutory concept; the substantive rights and procedures arise from statute and common law. Typical features include identification of the cause of action, applicable limitation periods, choice of jurisdiction and forum, compliance with pre-action protocols or pre-action correspondence, disclosure/discovery, evidence, settlement, costs and enforcement. Usage is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, though civil procedure differs: CPR in England...

United States patents: America Invents Act overview—first-to-file, prior art, PTAB reviews (IPR/PGR/CBM), prior use defence, false marking, best mode and wilfulness (Archived)

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert

Practice notes

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained.

Originally prepared for Lexis Practice Advisor®, in the US, this Practice Note sets out an introduction to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), the first significant overhaul of the US patent system since the Patent Act of 1952. The AIA moves the US system from first-to-invent to first-to-file for patents with an effective filing date on or after 16 March 2013. In a first-to-file regime, the patent is awarded to the inventor who files earliest, rather than the inventor who first reduces the invention to practice. This encourages timely filings and, in most instances, removes the need to resolve who invented first. The change to first-to-file also harmonises the US patent framework with foreign systems, which are largely first-to-file.

Beyond adopting first-to-file, the AIA also:

Expanded the procedures available in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for patent review and for cancellation or amendment of claims in issued patents
Added new limitations on false marking suits
Expanded to all patents the prior user

...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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