What is the impact of fraud, inequitable conduct, or violation of duty of disclosure on patent claims?

According to MPEP 2016, a finding of fraud, inequitable conduct, or violation of duty of disclosure affects all claims in a patent application or patent, rendering them unpatentable or invalid. The MPEP states:

“A finding of ‘fraud,’ ‘inequitable conduct,’ or violation of duty of disclosure with respect to any claim in an application or patent, renders all the claims thereof unpatentable or invalid.”

This means that even if the misconduct is related to only one claim, it affects the entire patent.

To learn more:

• fraud
• inequitable conduct
• duty of disclosure
• patent claims
• unenforceability