From <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Submarine_patent" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Submarine_patent</a><p><i>A submarine patent is a patent whose issuance and publication are intentionally delayed by the applicant for a long time, such as several years.[1][2][3] This strategy requires a patent system where, first, patent applications are not published, and, second, patent term is measured from grant date, not from priority&#x2F;filing date. In the United States, patent applications filed before November 2000 were not published and remained secret until they were granted. Analogous to a submarine, therefore, submarine patents could stay &quot;under water&quot; for long periods until they &quot;emerged&quot; and surprised the relevant market.</i>