Electronic And Software Patents

Now there is a focused, practical reference to help you draft, prosecute, & manage a strong portfolio of patents in the fast-changing specialty of electronic & software patent law. This total strategy guide will help you deal with today's lightning-paced technological developments, changes in PTO policy, & pivotal court rulings. In this step-by-step resource, more than 30 practitioners--handpicked for their experience in this challenging specialty--give you perspective & tactics including: * guidance on tough decisions such as whether to seek patent protection at all ... how to search for & evaluate prior art ... how to use trade secret & copyright law in conjunction with your patent strategy ... & how to draft your claims for broad yet distinct interpretation * succinct, useful lessons on preparing computer-related patent applications under Alappat, its progeny, & the PTO's examination guidelines * compelling insights on drafting with the appropriate scope--& the unique, software-related aspects of the best-mode, enablement, & written-description requirements of Section 112 * candid practice "tips & traps" for each step of the patent prosecution process--including the 10 types of patent prosecutions & how to deal with each one * international survey of the statutes, regulations, & case law of more than 40 nations--plus basic global principles of patentability * plus two sample patents, a timesaving practice checklist, a case table, & an exhaustive topic index No other resource gives you such specific, practice-oriented guidance for maneuvering through this dynamic I.P. area. Use it to: * determine when to seek--or not to seek--a software or electronic patent * craft strong, defensible patent specifications & claims * save precious time in the complex patent prosecution process * protect competitive information with the full range of I.P. protections * develop & manage a strategic & powerful portfolio of domestic & foreign patents.

Never before has one resource broken down the process for drafting software patent specifications and claims into manageable segments. Software Patents, Third Edition will show you how to draft accurate, complete patent applications -- applications that will be approved by the patent office and that will stand in court if challenged. It discusses what a software patent is and the legal protection it offers; who holds software patents and for what inventions; and the steps you can take to protect software inventions in the worldwide marketplace. The book also explores internet and e-commerce patents and information protection using the software patent. Completely revised and updated in a new looseleaf format, Software Patents, Third Edition is your authoritative source for expert guidance on: Strategic software patent protection Prior art searches Drafting claims Drafting the software patent specification Requirements for software patent drawings Patent Office examination guidelines International software patent protection Beta testing software inventions Integrating software patents with industry standards Invalidity defenses in software patent litigation

This volume has chapters on e-patents, i-patents, and service patents, including new rules to invent software and Internet applications--and to patent the result. (Legal Reference)

A new perspective on United States software development, seen through the patent battles that shaped our technological landscape This first comprehensive history of software patenting explores how patent law made software development the powerful industry that it is today. Historian Gerardo Con Díaz reveals how patent law has transformed the ways computing firms make, own, and profit from software. He shows that securing patent protection for computer programs has been a central concern among computer developers since the 1950s and traces how patents and copyrights became inseparable from software development in the Internet age. Software patents, he argues, facilitated the emergence of software as a product and a technology, enabled firms to challenge each other's place in the computing industry, and expanded the range of creations for which American intellectual property law provides protection. Powerful market forces, aggressive litigation strategies, and new cultures of computing usage and development transformed software into one of the most controversial technologies ever to encounter the American patent system.