The nine justices of the US high court will consider the very controversial topic on the eligibility of patent protection for software on Monday, Reuters reported.
They will be hearing an oral argument about the case and are expected to give their ruling by the end of June. The decision is set to affect not just software firms but also other businesses that offer products that have features that need to be implemented through computers. The decision of the US Supreme Court is set to impact companies in the healthcare, IT, communications and high-tech engineering fields, the report said.
Tech companies like Google Inc, Verizon Communications Inc, Microsoft Corp and Hewlett-Packard Co as well as engine maker Cummins Inc are just some of the firms that have submitted their legal documents about the matter. They have different views on the eligibility level they want. Google, for its end, wants a tighter definition because it is often the subject of lawsuits regarding patent infringement. IBM Corp, meanwhile, wants to have the court rule that majority of the software be eligible for patents, the report said.
Courts are being challenged to enforce the patent law as computer-based products increase. Digital civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation think that the US Patent and Trademark Office issues a great number of patents and that courts intend to really honor them. Last year, the US Government Accountability Office or GAO said in a report that there were nearly 125,000 software patents given by the patent office in 2011 compared to 1991 when only 25,000 software patents were issued, the report said.
The lawsuits brought about by the so-called "patent trolls" are cases that most concern tech firms. Patent trolls are firms that hold patents only to sue other firms that want to come up with new innovations. The companies said cases brought about by these trolls limit them from coming up with fresh and new products, the report said.
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