Supreme Court To Review "Business Method" Patents 181
xzvf alerts us to big news on the patent front: the Supreme Court decided today to review the validity of "business method" patents. In particular, the Supremes will look over the "In re: Bilski" case, which we have discussed before. "By agreeing to weigh in on the case, the high court is venturing into controversial terrain. Critics of business-method patents say it was never the intent of the law to protect such things, which in their view are often far closer to abstract concepts or mathematical algorithms rather than physical inventions. Proponents say they are key to promoting innovation in today's knowledge- and service-based economy. ... The court's decision to review the Bilski case caught many observers by surprise. The Bilski patent claims are widely viewed as vulnerable to challenge on a number of grounds, and the sense among some experts was it would make a poor test case. ... The Supreme Court won't hear arguments in Bilski until its next term, which begins in October. A ruling is likely during the first half of 2010."
Good News (Score:5, Funny)
[maniacal laughter followed by gentle sobbing]
Re:That'd be "Bilski", not Bilsky. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Good News (Score:5, Funny)
I hear they have drugs for that now.
Re:That's great (Score:5, Funny)
U.S Economy collapses finally and utterly, U.S. defederates, patent system abolished, though that is incidental as former U.S. territories plunge into interstate war, americans arrogantly call it WWIII despite the non-involvement and borderline non-interest of most of Europe and Asia. Afterward, religious kooks rule the depopulated midwest, supplied with arms by east and west coasters to fight a proxy war.
As time moves on (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:That's great (Score:5, Funny)
[NOTE: If you need to google KSR, CAFC and section 101 before you respond to this post, that's a good clue that you're fighting a battle you don't understand]
Ha, joke's on you! Thanks to Microsoft, I only had to Bing them! So with that out of the way, U R WRNG.
Anyway, I remember reading on /. about the case that raised the bar for obviousness... And ATT v MS where a Justice said out loud that the court had never held software to be patentable before... So I was very hopeful reading this headline. Thanks for more hope!
Re:That'd be "Bilski", not Bilsky. (Score:4, Funny)
Yes, but there's a new patent for doing it on submissions sent OVER THE INTERNET.
Re:That'd be "Bilski", not Bilsky. (Score:4, Funny)
Economy, the new excuse for broken laws? (Score:3, Funny)
I wonder if "think of the economy!" will find itself alongside the well-worn excuses "think of the children!" and "think of the terrorists!" for ramming broken laws through.