Supreme Court to review patents on software

The Supreme Court says it will return to the thorny issue of when software-related “inventions” are eligible for review under patent law. The Supreme Court decided to take the issue after the Federal Circuit Court published a messy decision with seven different opinions that have left lower courts in a state of confusion.

The Supreme Court announced Friday it will review if business methods implemented through computer software should be eligible for monopolies under patent law. The decision to review software eligibility comes as U.S. courts continue to split over the issue, making it unclear what type of technology can be patented — and when the addition of a computer process will permit an unpatentable concept like a math formula to be eligible for patent protection.