What are laws of nature and natural phenomena in patent law?
Laws of nature and natural phenomena, as identified by the courts, include naturally occurring principles/relations and nature-based products that are naturally occurring or that do not have markedly different characteristics compared to what occurs in nature. The Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) Section 2106.04(b) states:
“The law of nature and natural phenomenon exceptions reflect the Supreme Court’s view that the basic tools of scientific and technological work are not patentable, because the ‘manifestations of laws of nature’ are ‘part of the storehouse of knowledge,’ ‘free to all men and reserved exclusively to none.'”
This means that fundamental scientific principles and naturally occurring things are not eligible for patent protection.
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