Events Calendar
In This Section
Redone building called work of art
Raided Akron finance company emptied
Extension requested for bulb proposal
Holiday fundraiser benefits Adopt-A-Family program
Best bargains will not wait long
Economy appears on slow rebound
Maintain computer to keep it working longer
Most Read Stories
2 siblings arrested in attempted break-in
Police say Cuyahoga Falls man used woman's cell phone to stalk her
Boy left in truck, dad goes to strip club
Four injured in Akron collision
Police find an arsenal in apartment after blast
Truck carrying illegal immigrants falls off Texas cliff
Blogs:
Pets:
Dog Eats 130 Nails, Survives
The Heldenfiles:
Happy Thanksgiving
Patrick McManamon:
A holiday wish
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Eastern Michigan — Preview
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Conference calls with Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco
Kent State Sports:
Kent State vs. Buffalo | Preview
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Detroit – Abridged Edition
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeye Football – Present and Future
Varsity Letters:
Gridlocks Playoff Edition Week 4
All Da King's Men:
Census Worker's Death Ruled Suicide
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Wrong On Afghanistan
Akron Law Café:
Giving Thanks for . . . the Fed?
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
What Automotive Thing Are You Thankful For?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Happy Thanks for giving!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
On The Town: Top Entertainment Picks
HRLite House:
Genetic Discrimination
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Ruling may bar certain software inventions from patents, could invalidate existing ones
Published on Sunday, Nov 08, 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.
A ruling that sides with the Patent Office could bar patents on processes and methods of doing business, such as online shopping techniques, medical diagnostic tests and procedures for executing trades on Wall Street. And it might even undercut patents on software.
In a worst-case scenario for the high-tech industry, the ruling could invalidate many software patents or at least make them more difficult to defend in lawsuits. And it could make such patents harder to obtain in the future because software is generally patented as a process for doing something rather than as a physical invention.
''Technology companies care about this case, because it will define what you can and cannot get a patent on,'' said Emery Simon, counselor to the Business Software Alliance, which represents large technology companies including Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.
It's impossible to know what products might never have come to market without patent protection for software. But tech companies say these patents have played a critical role in keeping the United States on the cutting edge by giving people control over their inventions for nearly 20 years.
''The software industry would lose an important incentive to innovate if the government ceased issuing software patents,'' warned patent attorney James Carmichael, a former judge on the Patent Office board of appeals.
The roots of the dispute go back to 1997, when inventors Bernard Bilski and Rand Warsaw tried to patent a method of hedging weather-related risk in energy prices.
Some of the best-known business-method patents in technology come out of electronic commerce, including Amazon.com Inc.'s ''1-Click'' tool for completing online purchases and Priceline.com Inc.'s ''Name Your Own Price'' model.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.
A ruling that sides with the Patent Office could bar patents on processes and methods of doing business, such as online shopping techniques, medical diagnostic tests and procedures for executing trades on Wall Street. And it might even undercut patents on software.
In a worst-case scenario for the high-tech industry, the ruling could invalidate many software patents or at least make them more difficult to defend in lawsuits. And it could make such patents harder to obtain in the future because software is generally patented as a process for doing something rather than as a physical invention.
''Technology companies care about this case, because it will define what you can and cannot get a patent on,'' said Emery Simon, counselor to the Business Software Alliance, which represents large technology companies including Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.
It's impossible to know what products might never have come to market without patent protection for software. But tech companies say these patents have played a critical role in keeping the United States on the cutting edge by giving people control over their inventions for nearly 20 years.
''The software industry would lose an important incentive to innovate if the government ceased issuing software patents,'' warned patent attorney James Carmichael, a former judge on the Patent Office board of appeals.
The roots of the dispute go back to 1997, when inventors Bernard Bilski and Rand Warsaw tried to patent a method of hedging weather-related risk in energy prices.
Some of the best-known business-method patents in technology come out of electronic commerce, including Amazon.com Inc.'s ''1-Click'' tool for completing online purchases and Priceline.com Inc.'s ''Name Your Own Price'' model.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
