United StatesThe future of software and business method patents
This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of IAM's co-published content. Read more on Insight
In 1787, when the US Constitution was written, there were no cars, aeroplanes, repeating rifles or electricity. There was also no such thing as the Internet, mobile phones, personal digital assistants or nanotechnology. The transistor, the building block for the computer age in which we live, first appeared in 1962, and the techniques for unravelling the mysteries of DNA were developed in the 1960s. Each of these great inventions resulted in the issuance of numerous patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Since the adoption of the Constitution, every new invention has been required to satisfy the test established by Congress under Article I of that document.
Download