Legal Definitions - interference-estoppel rejection

Definition:Interference-estoppel rejection is a type of rejection in patent law where a patent claim is rejected because the applicant failed to bring the claim into a previous interference contest in which its priority could have been determined.

Example: If an inventor files a patent application for a new invention, but fails to participate in an interference contest with another inventor who filed a similar patent application earlier, the patent examiner may issue an interference-estoppel rejection. This means that the inventor cannot claim priority over the earlier application and the patent claim will be rejected.

This type of rejection is meant to prevent inventors from filing multiple patent applications for the same invention and to encourage them to participate in interference contests to determine priority.