• If an applicant fails to be candid in disclosing all relevant information, the PTO may reject the application. If the patent issues and undisclosed but relevant information is discovered later, the patent may be invalidated, and the applicant charged with fraud on the PTO, even if the undisclosed information might not have barred the patent’s issuance. [Cases: Patents 97. C.J.S. Patents §§ 135–138, 145, 178.]
duty of candor and good faith
Patents. A patent applicant’s responsibility to disclose to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office all known information relevant to the invention’s patentability, esp. prior art, novelty, and embodiment.
