This means that the invention must be capable of being manufactured or performed in industry in the broadest sense of the word. Industry here refers not only to the traditional definition of the word, but also applies to other activities, such as transport, agriculture, hunting, public administration and health care.

Lack of industrial applicability can be a barrier to patenting inventions used in activities that cannot reasonably be interpreted as industrial, such as religious acts. However, products intended for non-industrial purposes, but which can be produced industrially, may be patentable. An invention that is contrary to the laws of nature and therefore cannot work, such as a perpetual motion machine, is another example of inventions without industrial applicability.

Read more about patentability requirements and how they are assessed in our guidelines:

Patentability conditions