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Was she a natural ginger or a fake ginger? You can’t always tell
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LSDefine
Simple English definitions for legal terms
patentable subject matter
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A quick definition of patentable subject matter:
Patentable subject matter refers to things that can be patented by law. This includes machines, processes, materials, and improvements that are new, useful, and meet certain requirements. However, patents cannot be issued for things like natural laws, physical phenomena, or abstract ideas. If a natural material is processed in a new way that gives it a new use, that process may be patentable.
A more thorough explanation:
Patentable subject matter refers to things that can be legally patented. This includes any machine, process, manufacture, or material composition, or an improvement to such things, that meets certain requirements:
- It must be discovered or invented
- It must be new and useful
- It must meet the statutory conditions and requirements to qualify for a patent
For example, a new machine that can make coffee faster than any other machine can be patented. A process for making a new type of plastic can also be patented. An improvement to an existing machine that makes it more efficient can also be patented.
However, there are some things that cannot be patented. Laws of nature, naturally occurring materials, physical phenomena, and abstract ideas and formulas cannot be patented. For example, you cannot patent the law of gravity or a naturally occurring mineral. But if a naturally occurring material is processed in a way that gives it a new use, that process may be patentable.
Overall, patentable subject matter refers to things that are new, useful, and meet certain legal requirements for a patent.