In the vigorous, ongoing debate about the state of America's patent system -- and the state of software patents, in particular -- there are some legitimate issues that call for practical solutions, and there is a great deal of peripheral noise.
Two economists at the St. Louis Federal Reserve published a paper arguing to abolish the American patent system, saying there's "no evidence" patents ...
Within the startup world, patents are seen as anti-competitive force that stifles innovation. We're in a place where we need to walk a tightrope between the world of predatory patent prosecution and the need to promote one's invention with current patent law.
You might think, in light of the celebration and rhetoric, that the America Invents Act of 2011 was tackling the big problems such as patent trolls, broad and abstract patents, the billions squandered in the smartphone wars, or opportunistic litigation against users. You might think that. But you would be wrong.
Want to bring down the US trade deficit? One easy way is to reduce software piracy.
It has become clear that business method patents -- which might have seemed like a great idea in those go-go years -- are deeply problematic.
Not being a soccer fan myself, I cannot fully appreciate the various tweets, articles and quips on the calls made by the referees during the 2010 Worl...
Patent law cannot award ownership of facts of nature, or mere mental activities, or algorithms: the US Supreme Court has been unambiguous on that point for more than 150 years.
Unfortunately, there is little transparency in today's patent system. Indeed, the patent system is beset by information failure.
A major decision this may have determined that software is no longer patentable. If true, this would change the landscape of tech business. In re Bils...
