LibGuides: Using Patent Databases and Finding Patents: Additional Comments

Other patent topics

A topic of some controversy in the patent world (at least in the U.S.) concerns patenting software. The U.S. is considered to be the only country granting patents for software. Even in the U.S., legal decisions have narrowed eligibility. The Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) in Chapter 2100 and specifically in section 2106, Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, explains the guidelines used by the examiners.

A brief explanation of what can be patented in the United States is at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website in General Information Concerning Patents : "In the language of the statute, any person who 'invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent.'”

Patent law can be confusing but, at least for those of us in the U.S., information is readily available. Much information is available on the pages of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.