noun
first-to-file principle; first-to-file system
Patent law term: the system where the first person to file a patent application gets the rights, regardless of who invented it first. Contrasts with 先発明主義 (first-to-invent).
See also: 先発明主義
日本では先願主義が採用されている。
Japan adopts the first-to-file system.
先願主義の下では、早く出願することが重要だ。
Under the first-to-file principle, it is important to file an application early.
先発明主義 is the first-to-invent system, where the first person to invent gets the patent rights, regardless of filing date. 先願主義 is the opposite: the first to file gets the rights.
Compound of 先願 (prior application) + 主義 (principle, doctrine). A legal term coined in Japanese to describe the patent filing system.