Briefs Filed In High Court Patent Case
The final round of friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed in a case pending before the Supreme Court that will mark the first time since 1981 the panel has ruled on the types of innovations covered by the U.S. Patent Act. The high court agreed in June to consider what types of business methods qualify for patent protection after the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Patent and Trademark Office's appeals board. The case has sweeping ramifications for the software, biotechnology and financial services sectors.
At issue is the PTO's rejection of an application by inventor Bernard Bilski, who tried to patent what some believe is an abstract idea to reduce risk in buying and selling commodities. The case has generated immense interest in the high-tech and intellectual property communities. Among those submitting briefs were the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Computer and Communications Industry Association, American Bar Association, Bloomberg, and Microsoft. Click here to read the Patently-O blog's summaries of amicus briefs.
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