Law - Contrary to Public Order

U.S law requires that patentable inventions be "useful" (35 U.S.C. 101). The courts have decided that an invention that would be illegal to practice or that would contravene public policy would not meet the statutory criterion of being useful under U.S. patent law.

The position of the USPTO on this issue is described in the following section(s) of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedures (MPEP):

MPEP 706.03(a) - Rejections under 35 U.S.C. 101

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