Can "disclosure without loss of novelty" be used as an exception to the prior art defense? According to the clear provisions of the new Patent Law, existing technology and existing designs refer to technologies and designs that were known to the public at home and abroad before the patent application date (which of course should include the priority date). Therefore, there is no doubt that in order to correctly answer whether there are exceptions in the prior art defense, we must first understand whether the several exceptions in the Patent Law regarding disclosure without loss of novelty constitute prior art.