Obviousness is a critical element to patentability. In essence, even if the applicant can demonstrate patentable subject matter, utility and novelty, the patent will not issue if the invention is trivial.
While the earliest C. megalodon remains were reported from late Oligocene strata, around 28 million years old, a more reliable date for the origin of the species is the early Miocene, about 23 million years ago.
Megalodon: The Monster Sharkâs Dead. Megalodon is dead. This shouldnât come as a shock. The fossil record is clear that after about 14 million years of feasting on marine mammals, the 50-foot-long, âmega-toothedâ shark exited the evolutionary stage by two and a half million years ago. But the monstrous shark is too good to let go.