junior party. Patents. In an interference proceeding, the party or parties who did not file the patent application first. • A junior party has the burden of proving that he or she is the first inventor. Cf. SENIOR PARTY. [Cases: Patents 106(1). C.J.S. Patents §§ 159–162, 165.]
senior party. Intellectual property. In an interference proceeding, the first person to file an application for a property’s legal protection, e.g., an invention patent or a trademark registration. • In the United States, merely being the first to file does not entitle the party to the protection. The proceeding’s administrator also takes other factors into
A writ issued at a later time than a similar writ, such as a later writ issued by a different party or a later writ on a different claim against the same defendant.