Legal Definitions - state of the art

Definition: State of the art refers to the level of scientific and technical knowledge that existed at the time a product was manufactured or sold. It also includes the best technology that was reasonably available at that time.

For example, if a car manufacturer produces a vehicle with the latest safety features and technology, it can be said that the car is state of the art. Similarly, if a medical device manufacturer uses the most advanced technology available to produce a device, it can be considered state of the art.

The concept of state of the art is important in products liability cases. If a product is found to be defective or unreasonably dangerous, the manufacturer may argue that they were not aware of the risks at the time of production because the state of the art was not advanced enough to identify those risks. However, this defense may not be valid if the manufacturer failed to use the best technology that was reasonably available at the time.