Quote:
Originally Posted by jbjb
Patents are not just for devices - you can patent processes, techniques etc. For example, there are cases of things like business methods and software algorithms being patented. Many of these patentable things could reasonably be described as ideas.
/JB
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This is a perversion on the Patent system. It was established early on that you can patent a math algorithm. Also, you can't patent something the is obvious or and obvious combination or other patented things.
For example, you can patent the use of a software program to compress a file so that the resulting file is smaller than the input file and there is a way to take the smaller file and expand it back to the original file.
You can patent your software that compressed a file since that is an implementation of the idea.
This is why Zip could be created when the guy that came up with Arc wouldn't share. Both compressed files but each on implemented it differently.
Also, see here:
http://www.ipwatchdog.com/inventing/patent-ideas/
BOb