person of ordinary skill in the art

noun

In United States patent law, the hypothetical individual whose likely knowledge determines whether an improvement on existing technology would be obvious, and therefore not patentable.

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Meanings

nounperson of ordinary skill in the art (plural persons of ordinary skill in the art or people of ordinary skill in the art)

plural persons of ordinary skill in the art · plural people of ordinary skill in the art · alternative person having ordinary skill in the art · alternative POSITA

  1. USlawIn United States patent law, the hypothetical individual whose likely knowledge determines whether an improvement on existing technology would be obvious, and therefore not patentable.
Cite this entry
APA

person of ordinary skill in the art. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/person%20of%20ordinary%20skill%20in%20the%20art

MLA

“person of ordinary skill in the art.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/person%20of%20ordinary%20skill%20in%20the%20art. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “person of ordinary skill in the art,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/person%20of%20ordinary%20skill%20in%20the%20art.

Source: person of ordinary skill in the art on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.