In this episode, John discusses important issues surrounding prior art from many perspectives: not just how the patent office views prior art, but how to understand how prior art impacts inventors and businesses. With a strategic understanding of the prior art in a technology space, businesses can leverage their knowledge of prior art for a competitive advantage, instead of fearing it will prevent them from getting a patent, or worse, reducing their freedom to operate. The topic areas of this episode include:

1. Definition of Prior Art – why should we talk about it?

2. Methods of finding Prior Art and why you need expertise

3. Prior Art and the Patent Office

4. Strategies for using Prior Art for leverage

5. Prior Art and Inventing

6. The Future of Prior Art – some predictions