nonobviousness
nonobviousness Lexical Profile
nonobviousness Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A statutory condition for patentability requiring that an invention must not be readily deducible from prior art by a person having ordinary skill in the relevant technical field.
"To successfully secure a patent for the new pharmaceutical compound, the legal team had to rigorously demonstrate its nonobviousness over existing medications."
The quality or state of not being easily perceived, understood, or apparent to the mind or eye.
"The nonobviousness of the code's vulnerability made it difficult for the cybersecurity analysts to detect the threat during standard testing."
Word Nuance & Usage
While it can be used broadly to describe anything obscure or subtle, 'nonobviousness' is predominantly used as a specific term of art in patent law to describe an invention that requires an inventive leap beyond existing technology.
• Rhymes for nonobviousness
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived by combining the prefix 'non-' (not), the adjective 'obvious' (from Latin 'obvius', meaning 'in the way' or 'plain'), and the suffix '-ness' (indicating a state or quality). It was formalized as a core legal standard for patentability in the United States Patent Act of 1952.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.