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Are algorithms or computer software patentable?

Intellectual Property Office - Patent FAQs
If one has invented a novel and unobvious algorithm or piece of computer software, and wishes to obtain patent protection, then one's next step should be to consult one or more patent attorneys or patent agents who are experienced in getting patents on inventions having algorithms or software in them. The law (in the U.S.) is settled that the mere presence of software in an invention does not automatically render it unpatentable.
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Is computer software patentable?

Fleit, Kain, Gibbons, Gutman, Bongini & Bianco
Inventions embodied in computer programs can be protected with patents. Patents protect physical embodiments of inventions. Computer programs, as any other useful articles, may or may not embody inventions. It is important to understand that patents protect inventions, and those inventions may be embodied in many different products.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Software may be patentable when it is part of a functional system. In addition, software is covered by the Copyright Act of 1976 under which computer software (as well as all other copyrightable work) is protected by Federal Statute from the moment it is "fixed" in a tangible form.
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Is my invention patentable?

Help Getting Started, Frequently Asked Questions, Patent FAQ...
Note, the information provided here are the basic concepts, however we would have look at the details of your case to provide you a patentability legal opinion. In generic terms: in determining the patentably of your your invention, the Patent Office must consider utility, novelty, obviousness, and so called "secondary considerations." Generally, if your product or process does something useful that a "close" one does not, then your product would logically be novel.
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What is patentable?

Cleveland Clinic Innovations - Inventor Resources - Frequent...
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," subject to the conditions and requirements of the law (35 U.S.C. Sec. 101). A researcher who wonders whether an invention is patentable should treat the invention as potentially patentable and contact CCFI for advice.
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AARPTA: Patents: Guidelines
Not all inventions can be patented. To be patentable, an invention must satisfy certain criteria. For example, it must contain an inventive or innovative step when compared with what was known by the skilled person in the field. The only present statutory exclusion from patentability in Australia is the patenting of human beings and the biological processes for their generation.
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UNL | Office of Research
In order to be considered novel, the invention must be new. This means that it must be different in some way from all "prior art", or other ideas that have already been patented or disclosed to the public. Novelty means that even the inventor cannot have publicly disclosed the invention more than one year before the patent was filed through publications, presentations at conferences, or any other public use including dissertations, abstracts, posters, etc.
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File Electrical Engineering Patents
A machine (device), method or process, method of manufacture, or composition of matter are all statuatory classes for which a Utility patent is permitted.
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What about algorithms?

Curriculum and Instruction Department - Denver Public School...
The word algorithm is a part of your children’s working vocabulary when they use the Everyday Mathematics program. An algorithm is a set of rules or well-defined procedure guaranteed to achieve a certain objective. For example, following the directions for assembling a new toy for your child, using a recipe, and following any procedure are all examples of algorithms. In mathematics, an algorithm is a recipe for computation.
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Typically you use a recipient public key to establish a cipher key, and then use the cipher key to encrypt the bulk of the message. The integrity of the message is assured by including a MAC of the message. The authenticity of the sender is assured by a digital signature and some certificates. You could look at something like SSL or S/MIME for an example, although these are not really good starting points for designing a new system.
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What Types of New Plants are Patentable?

Plant Patent is a source of information about plant variety ...
New and distinct varieties of plants fall roughly into three classes: (1) sports, (2) mutants, and (3) hybrids. In the case of sports, the new and distinct variety results from bud variation and not seed variation. A plant or portion of a plant may suddenly assume an appearance or character distinct from that which normally characterize the variety or species. In the case of mutants, the new and distinct variety results from seedling variation by self-pollination.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, compositions of matter, or any new useful improvement thereof. Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.
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Are many scheduling and sequencing algorithms implemented in ERP software?

ERP FAQ'S
Why and Why not? No. The extensive scheduling and sequencing rules developed in the last two decades are so complex that they are rarely used in the real world. As such, ERP being a real-world oriented software does not implement complex scheduling and sequence algorithms. The increased flexibility provided by the availability of the right information across the corporation provided by the ERP software has obviated the need for complex algorithms.
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What are all those deinterlace algorithms ?

DScaler - Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can. DScaler is being developped mainly by people using it as an analog source scaler for their projector and they prefer for sure using DScaler from their remote on the sofa rather than from their desk ;-) DScaler is thus filled with keyboard shortcuts for all main options so that you can do everything quickly. We also suggest the use of Girder from Ron Bessems as the application of choice for remote controlling your computer. An export group has been developped. Download it here.
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What inventions are patentable?

Frequently Asked Questions - Ask Us from A J Park
Patentable inventions include new products, machines, electronics, compositions, processes and software. These inventions should be protected if they are likely to be commercially successful or important to industry. It is not possible to patent a bare idea without disclosing an example of how the idea may be put into practice.
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Are Computer Programs patentable?

RT COOPERS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW-FAQ Intellectual Proper...
With the advent of the Internet and the growth in IT, companies are seeking to obtain patent protection for computer programs. Patents of computer programs are more readily obtainable in the USA and Japan than in the UK and the rest of Europe. The EPO and the UK Patent Office only granted patents for computer programs where the program brought about a technical effect.
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What is a patentable invention?

Inventor Services - Frequently Asked Questions
Patentable inventions encompass a huge scope. It is actually easier to define what is not patentable than to define what is patentable. The patent statutes require an invention to be a novel and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter. Improvements to the foregoing are also patentable. As you can see, this describes a tremendous amount of patentable items. The scope of patentable material has been limited, by statute, to prevent patenting certain matter.
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How does RL relate to genetic algorithms?

RL FAQ
Most work with genetic algorithms simulates evolution, not learning during an individual's life, and because of this is very different from work in RL. That having been said, there are two provisos. First, there is a large body of work on classifier systems that uses or is closely related to genetic algorithms. This work is concerned with learning during a single agent's lifetime (using GAs to organize the components of the agent's mind) and is in fact RL research.
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What about search engines changing their algorithms ...how do you address that?

SEO Tutor - Frequently Asked Questions - SEO Training Guide
Contrary to what many other SEO's have recommended over the years and their countless discussions on this topic, we have successfully determined, practiced and shared an effective optimization strategy that has prevailed where others have failed.
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What are the alternative algorithms? Why are these part of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum?

UCSMP: Everyday Mathematics
For decades, all American school children have been taught one standard procedure for each of the four basic operations of arithmetic. These "standard" algorithms, like the regrouping ("borrowing") algorithm for multi-digit subtraction and the long division algorithm, are not the only way to perform these operations. There are many alternative algorithms taught in other countries. Compared to the standard U.S.
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Have the algorithms been documented?

MODIS Atmosphere: Filled Land Surface Albedo Product: Freque...
Yes. Two papers have been written. The first paper (Moody, E. G., M. D. King, S. Platnick, C. B. Schaaf, and F. Gao, 2005: Spatially complete global spectral surface albedos: Value-added datasets derived from Terra MODIS land products. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 43, 144-158) describes the temporal interpolation technique, data available, and provides error analysis.
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What are encryption algorithms?

ICT Authority - IT - FAQ
Encryption algorithms are mathematical formulas that are used to transform a readable message to a message that can only be read by the intended recipient. In this encryption method the information is encrypted so that only the intended recipient is able to read and transform the message. The message can be intercepted, but it is useless to a person, who cannot decrypt it. Encryption and decryption of the information requires, in addition to the encryption algorithm, a key.
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Why should algorithms be profiled?

ISG FAQ
It gives feedback to other MPEG-4 subgroups on the complexity of some functionality. Functions with high complexity are encouraged to be simplified (e.g. simplification of the padding - see [M1097, M1490, M1578, M1814, M2039, M2129, M3572])
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What algorithms are patented?

Mark Nelson's FAQ
The best overview I know of on this topic can be found in the comp.compression FAQ. You can find the comp.compression FAQ via a link on my FAQ, follow the links from my home page. comp.compression and comp.compression.research sometimes will turn up answers to questions regarding specific techniques, but the murkiness of patent law makes it hard to trust *any* source of information.
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