Judicially Re(De)Fining Software Patent Eligibility: A Survey of Post-Bilski Jurisprudence

Software patents have received a great deal of attention in the academicliterature. Unfortunately, most of that attention has been devoted to theproblem of whether software is or should be patentable subject matter. Withroughly 40,000 software patents already issued, and the Federal Circuitendorsing patentability without qualification, those questions are for thehistory books. The more pressing questions now concern the scope to beaccorded software patents. In this paper, we examine the implications ofsome traditional patent law doctrines for innovation in the softwareindustry. We argue that patent law needs some refinement if it is topromote rather than impede the growth of this new market, which ischaracterized by rapid sequential innovation, reuse and re-combination ofcomponents, and strong network effects that privilege interoperablecomponents and products. In particular, we argue for two sorts of new rulesin software patent cases.First, we advocate a limited right to reverse engineer patented computerprograms in order to gain access to and study those programs and toduplicate their unprotected elements. Such a right is firmly established incopyright law, and seems unexceptional as a policy matter even in patentlaw. But because patent law contains no fair use or reverse engineeringexemption, patentees could use the grant of rights on a single component ofa complex program to prevent any "making" or "using" of the program as awhole, including those temporary uses needed in reverse engineering. Whilepatent law does contain doctrines of "experimental use" and "exhaustion,"it is not at all clear that those doctrines will protect legitimate reverseengineering efforts. We suggest that if these doctrines cannot be readbroadly enough to establish such a right, Congress should create a limitedright to reverse engineer software containing patented components forresearch purposes.Second, we argue that in light of the special nature of innovation withinthe software industry, courts should apply the doctrine of equivalentsnarrowly in infringement cases. The doctrine of equivalents allows afinding of infringement even when the accused product does not literallysatisfy each element of the patent, if there is substantial equivalence asto each element. The test of equivalence is the known interchangeability ofclaimed and accused elements at the time of (alleged) infringement. Anumber of factors unique to software and the software industry - a cultureof reuse and incremental improvement, a lack of reliance on systems offormal documentation used in other technical fields, the short effectivelife of software innovations, and the inherent plasticity of code -severely complicate post hoc assessments of the "known interchangeability"of software elements. A standard for equivalence of code elements thatignores these factors risks stifling legitimate, successful efforts todesign around existing software patents. To avoid this danger, courtsshould construe software claims narrowly, and should refuse a finding ofequivalence if the accused element is "interchangeable" with prior art thatshould have narrowed the original patent, or if the accused improvement istoo many generations removed from the original invention.

A PROSPECÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA NO AUXÍLIO AO PROCESSO DE DEFINIÇÃO DE TEMAS DE P&D PARA EMPRESAS DO SETOR DE INFORMÁTICA

Cadernos de Prospecção ◽

10.9771/cp.v9i2.11661 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 249

Author(s):

Cristiano Rodrigo Da Silva ◽

Laís Santana Viana ◽

Lorena Caires Moreira ◽

Gesil Amarante Segundo ◽

Angye Cassia Noia

Keyword(s):

Software Patent

O Polo de Informática de Ilhéus surgiu em 1995 com intuito de incentivar a interiorização industrial, por meio da instalação de indústrias de informática, eletrônicos e telecomunicações. As rápidas mudanças tecnológicas inerentes ao setor tornam a definição de temas de P&D um fator crítico para a estratégia de aumento da competitividade e sobrevivência no mercado globalizado. Nesse sentido, o objetivo do presente trabalho é investigar a utilização da prospecção tecnológica como ferramenta de apoio ao processo de definição de temas de P&D no setor de informática, por meio de um estudo de prospecção de um insumo tecnológico de produção comum às empresas do Polo de Informática de Ilhéus: os microprocessadores. O estudo possui caráter quantitativo e qualitativo, com pesquisa do tipo exploratória e envolveu a realização de revisão da literatura para construção do referencial teórico e prospecção tecnológica do tipo análise de patentes, utilizando o software Patent Insight Pro.

Software Patent Manoeuvres

The Politics of Digital India ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199494620.003.0004 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 99-120

Author(s):

Pradip Ninan Thomas

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Property ◽

Open Source ◽

Indian Government ◽

Business Software ◽

Patent Laws ◽

Local Solutions ◽

Ambivalent Attitude ◽

Software Patent ◽

Patent Thickets ◽

Creativity And Innovation

This chapter explores the politics and geopolitics of software patents. Beginning with an introduction to patents as intellectual property (IP), it explores its conflictual nature, especially in the context of free and open source software. This chapter deals with the Indian State’s ambivalent attitude towards the patenting of software, the pressure brought by the Business Software Alliance and others to harmonize India’s patent laws with US requirements, and the consequences of ‘patent thickets’ and its impact on creativity and innovation. It highlights the fact that there is growing recognition of the need for software sovereignty in India, illustrated by the fact that the Indian government has invested in a number of organizations that are committed to local solutions in software, although this ethos is contested by the IP and patent lobbies.

Software patent issue moves to Congress

Chemical & Engineering News ◽

10.1021/cen-v050n049.p010a ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 50 (49) ◽

pp. 10

Keyword(s):

Software Patent

What is the impact of software patent shifts? Evidence from Lotus v. Borland

International Journal of Industrial Organization ◽

10.1016/j.ijindorg.2006.06.002 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 511-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Josh Lerner ◽

Feng Zhu

Keyword(s):

Software Patent ◽

The Impact