What significant change did the American Invents Act (AIA) make regarding patent eligibility?

The American Invents Act (AIA) significantly changed the landscape of patent eligibility by dramatically revising 35 U.S.C. § 102, which governs the conditions for patentability, particularly focusing on issues of novelty and prior art. Under the previous system, a key aspect of determining patentability involved a first-to-invent principle, where the first person to actually invent something could secure patent rights. The AIA shifted the framework to a first-to-file system, where the first person to file a patent application for an invention has the right to the patent, regardless of who invented it first. This major adjustment not only streamlined the application process but also changed how inventors approached filing patents, resulting in a significant impact on patent strategies and competition.

The other options do not reflect the core changes introduced by the AIA regarding patent eligibility. For instance, prior art considerations still play a vital role in evaluating patent applications. Additionally, while there were some adjustments regarding what might constitute a patentable process, the most fundamental change related to the legal structure of 35 U.S.C. § 102 itself. The AIA did not introduce entirely new sections in the sense of reconfiguring what is considered patentable; rather, it refined existing laws to