What is the impact of the AIA on design patent anticipation?

The America Invents Act (AIA) significantly changed the prior art provisions for design patent applications. For applications filed on or after March 16, 2013, the AIA’s first-inventor-to-file system applies. The MPEP provides specific form paragraphs for AIA applications, such as: The claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by [1] because the…

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What is the difference between anticipation and obviousness in patent rejections?

What is the difference between anticipation and obviousness in patent rejections? Anticipation and obviousness are two distinct grounds for rejecting a patent application based on prior art: Anticipation (35 U.S.C. 102): This occurs when a single prior art reference discloses all elements of the claimed invention. As stated in MPEP 2131, “A claim is anticipated…

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