Legal Definitions - patentable subject matter

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.