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Key Takeaways The U.S. runs on a first-to-file system, meaning the patent office doesn't care who invented something first, only who filed first, which makes early filing the single biggest factor in patent strategy for startups. An inventor has a one-year grace period from the date of public disclosure to file, but once you've disclosed an idea to investors, developers, or the public without protection in place, the clock starts, and you have no way of knowing whether someon