Legal Definitions - repair doctrine

The repair doctrine is a rule in patents that allows a licensee who is authorized to produce, use, or distribute a patented device to also have the right to repair and replace unpatented components.

For example, if a company has a license to produce a patented machine, they also have the right to repair and replace any unpatented parts of the machine without infringing on the patent.

This doctrine is also known as the permissible-repair doctrine and is different from the reconstruction doctrine, which does not allow for the replacement of unpatented components.