Few subjects have drawn as much interest among patent stakeholders and practitioners as understanding the framework used to determine a patent claim’s eligibility. Courts continue to address different factual situations in applying the two-step test for patent eligibility under 35 USC § 101 that the Supreme Court set out in Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. V.
Detecting Disease Is Not a “Tangible and Useful Result” Eligible for Patenting
The federal appeals court with jurisdiction over questions of patent law has consistently held that methods of diagnosing a disease or other biological condition violate the Supreme Court’s ban on patenting “natural phenomena.” A recent decision reaffirmed this position (in the veterinary sphere), and for the first time in many years clearly articulated the test
Eliminate Medical Treatment Patents? An Effort Approaches the Supreme Court
Will the Supreme Court’s banning of methods of medical diagnosis from patenting in Mayo v. Prometheus be extended to patents for medical treatments? Since Mayo some have argued that some methods of medical treatment should also be banned from patenting. Up until recently these arguments have seemed futile, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for