PCT International Search and Preliminary Examination Guidelines

PART III EXAMINER CONSIDERATIONS COMMON TO BOTH THE INTERNATIONAL SEARCHING AUTHORITY AND THE INTERNATIONAL PRELIMINARY EXAMINING AUTHORITY

Chapter 14 Industrial Applicability

Methodology

14.04 For the assessment of industrial applicability, the following steps are applied:

(i) determine what the applicant has claimed; and

(ii) determine whether a person skilled in the art would recognize the claimed invention to have industrial applicability.

14.05 In most cases, industrial applicability will be self-evident and no more explicit description on this point will be required.

Rules 43bis, 66.2(a)(ii), 70.8

14.06 If any product or process is alleged to operate in a manner clearly contrary to well-established physical laws and thus the invention cannot be carried out by a person skilled in the art, the claim does not have industrial applicability and the applicant should be so notified.