Legal Definitions - new-matter rejection

Definition: New-matter rejection is when a patent application is rejected because it includes new information that was not included in the original application. This means that the new information is not allowed to be added to the patent application.

Example: If someone filed a patent application for a new type of car engine, but then later added information about a new type of fuel that had not been mentioned before, the patent office might reject the application because the new information was not part of the original application.

The example illustrates how new-matter rejection works. The patent office only allows information that was included in the original application to be considered for the patent. If new information is added later, it cannot be included in the patent application.