5 Common Misconceptions about “Software Patents”

1) You can’t patent package

Probably the foremost widely-held thought is that patents can’t be granted for package inventions within the UK/Europe. This most likely stems from the letter of the law that states that a program for a pc isn’t patentable…”as such”. These 2 words have diode to an extended and complex history of charge within the kingdom and Europe concerning the patentability of computer-implemented inventions.

In short, however, if it are often incontestable the package solves a technical drawback (such as reducing the memory needed or up the potency of the process) it's potential to induce a patent granted within the kingdom and Europe.

2) package patents are incompatible with open supply

The owner of a patent will prefer to in public license their patents and also the code that allows the invention, as an instance as a part of a GPL. As long as any patents ar filed before the code is created open supply, this revealing shouldn't have an effect on the patentability of the invention.

3) The patent method is simply too slow to be helpful for package

Whilst it’s true that a typical patent will take four to five years from filing to grant, there ar ways in which of expediting the method. within the kingdom and Europe, this method are often accelerated, reducing the time to grant (the kingdom method especially are often perceptibly accelerated). Early publication of a application also can be requested. This extends the tentative protection (the amount during which compensation are often back-dated to) provided by the unfinished application which may be acted on once the grant of the patent if the patent is infringed.

It’s conjointly value noting that one in every of the advantages in holding Associate in Nursing earlier patent is that it will stop others from mistreatment any enhancements on prime of it while not a license (even tho' they may apply for a patent for the improvement). thus albeit Associate in Nursing invention is in an exceedingly fast-moving field admire package, it are often helpful to hunt a patent if later developments might place confidence in Associate in Nursing underlying facet of the invention.

4) Code must be written before applying for a package patent

One of the wants for a patent to grant is that the specification provides comfortable detail for a ‘skilled person’ (e.g. a seasoned developer) to recreate the invention. thus while a package invention doesn’t ought to are coded up before the patent is filed, the artificer must have a really complete plan of however the invention might be enforced so as to produce the amount of detail needed. In follow, this typically means the artificer can have a operating version of the package (or a minimum of pseudocode) before applying for a patent.

This leads United States onto…

5) Code must be enclosed within the patent specification

Even if the code has been written before filing a application, it's not needed to create a sufficiently elaborate revealing. However, it might be helpful to incorporate it to demonstrate Associate in Nursing example application of the invention. Normally tho' it's fairly rare to incorporate actual code in an exceedingly patent specification.