# Information disclosure statement (IDS)

A filing in which a patent applicant tells the USPTO about the prior art they are aware of. Applicants have a duty of candor to disclose known material references; failing to do so can render the resulting patent unenforceable for inequitable conduct.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/information-disclosure-statement

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

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