What does it mean that the solution is new?
If an invention constitutes an inventive step, it means that it was never known before. A technical solution can be patented if it meets such criteria as the condition of novelty, i.e. it has not been made public, published, used, offered for sale, or exhibited before the date of its submission. This applies to the whole world, which means that a solution known in China cannot be patented in Europe (novelty on a global scale).
