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Algorithmic Patenting

Posted by Soulskill on from the monkeys-at-typewriters dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Venturebeat reports on companies using software to "create" patents. They say a company called Cloem will use the software to "linguistically manipulate a seed set of a client's patent claims by, for example, substituting in synonyms or reordering steps in a process, thereby generating tens of thousands of potentially patentable inventions." The article says, "There is reason to believe that at least some of its computer-conceived inventions could be patentable and, indeed, patents have already been granted on inventions designed wholly or in part by software."

4 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. A good strategy by radl33t · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a strategy for demonstrating the absurdity of the current patent regime, right?

    1. Re:A good strategy by Kevin+Fishburne · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is a strategy for demonstrating the absurdity of the current patent regime, right?

      Unintentionally, no doubt. On the bright side the more absurdly and widely abused the system is the more ammunition for reforming it. I hope they cause a real mess spamming the USPTO with every possible patentable combination of words. Maybe they'll replace the USPTO staff with an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters to process them.

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  2. Simple Fix - Eliminate Patent System by pubwvj · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It is time to eliminate the patent system. The only reward should be delivering the product to customers and making the sales.

  3. Riiight by tambo · · Score: 1, Insightful

    "There is reason to believe that at least some of its computer-conceived inventions could be patentable and, indeed, patents have already been granted on inventions designed wholly or in part by software."

    Right. And according to Fox News, "It is SAID BY SOME that Obama isn't a native citizen. Not that *we're* saying it, mind you, so we can't be held accountable. It's just, you know, THEY said it was true. Who's THEY? Well, we can't tell you, and we can neither confirm nor deny that we're using 'they' in place of 'we.' So we're just going to state that it's some number of unnamed experts, or the public at large, or whatever. You know... THEM."

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