Diamond v. Chakrabarty (1979)
- Docket
- 79-136
- Decided
- 1979-01-01
Summary
Question: Is the creation of a live, human-made organism patentable under Title 35 U.S.C. Section 101? Conclusion: Yes. In a 5-to-4 decision, the Court explained that while natural laws, physical phenomena, abstract ideas, or newly discovered minerals are not patentable, a live artificially-engineered microorganism is. The creation of a bacterium that is not found anywhere in nature, constitutes a patentable "manufacture" or "composition of matter" under Section 101. Moreover, the bacterium's man-made ability to break down crude oil makes it very useful.