IP Spotlight

Yesterday the USPTO published a guidance memo regarding patentability of computer-readable media (i.e., software patents).   The USPTO has rejected many claims directed to computer-readable media if the claim could be broadly interpreted to cover a transitory propagating signal, rather than only tangible media such as hard drives or computer-readable disks.  The USPTO’s rejections state that such claims cover non-statutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. 

This week the USPTO issued a new guidance memo containing specific language that the USPTO considers sufficient to overcome subject matter eligibility rejections involving computer-readable media.  Specifically, the USPTO advises applicants who receive 101 rejections to amend the claims to state that the computer-readable medium is a “non-transitory” medium.

According to the guidance memo, the USPTO does not believe that this amendment will add new matter to a claim, even if the specification did not originally use those words, so long as the specification disclosed something other than a signal per se as the computer-readable medium.

(Thanks to my colleague Dan Scolnick for the heads up about this guidance memo.)