What is the “Art Recognized Suitability for an Intended Purpose” doctrine in patent law?

The “Art Recognized Suitability for an Intended Purpose” doctrine is a legal principle in patent law that relates to the obviousness of an invention. It states that selecting a known material or component for its recognized suitability for an intended use can support a prima facie case of obviousness.

As stated in MPEP 2144.07:

The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination” in the landmark case of Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp.

This doctrine suggests that if a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize a material or component as suitable for a particular purpose, using that material or component for that purpose may be considered obvious and thus potentially unpatentable.

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Topics: MPEP 2100 - Patentability, MPEP 2144.07 - Art Recognized Suitability For An Intended Purpose, Patent Law, Patent Procedure
Tags: Art Recognized Suitability, Intended Use, Material Selection, Obviousness, patent law