GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade): The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade signed by President Clinton on December 8, 1994. One resulting change is that a U.S. patent, if granted on an application filed on or after June 8, 1995, will have a term measured by 20 years from the filing date rather than the prior standard of 17 years from the date the patent was granted. Patents in force on June 8, 1995, and applications filed before that date will have a term that is the longer of these two terms. GATT also provided for provisional applications.

Gist of the Invention: This may also be referred to as the "heart of the invention." It refers to what are the novel and unique features of the claimed invention.

Grant: The issuance of a patent; a right given by a patent office to an applicant that allows the grantee to prevent anyone else from using the technology defined in the claims of a patent during the term of the patent.

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