# Forward citation

A later patent that cites a given patent as prior art. Forward citations accumulate over time and are the standard quick measure of a patent's influence: a patent cited by hundreds of subsequent filings likely describes foundational technology, while one nobody cites probably had little impact. Investors and analysts count forward citations to gauge which patents actually shaped a field. The opposite of a backward citation.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/forward-citation

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._