In 2000, 7500 applications for business method patents were filed, and 1000 such patents were issued. Because a large percentage of those patents involve methods of doing business online, they merit ...

To us, there's something oddly comforting when the Supreme Court justices all appear on the same page in a case; when Justice Scalia's comments echo Justice Breyer's, which, in turn, echo Chief ...

Maybe you are of a sufficient vintage to remember the game show Let's Make a Deal. But have you ever thought about the similarities between that show and the U.S. patent system? In the game show, ...

Bradley Lytle and Philippe Signore examine how finance-related companies are obtaining and enforcing business method patents in the US, and explain why portfolios of such patents are becoming ...

The prevailing wisdom for some years has been that, generally, the US permits the patenting of business methods and that the EPO does not. In fact, this view has not been correct for some time now.

A U.S. appeals court has rejected patenting a way to smooth energy costs in a closely watched decision that could narrow the scope of "business method" patents. The case turned on whether an inventor ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected on Monday an effort to patent a way to hedge energy costs, but declined to shut the door on business method patents, saying the ...

Imagine receiving a letter from a company offering to let you license a patent covering a computer-related business method for $50,000. Should you pay it? What if the company claims that its patent ...