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The patentability of software, computer programs and computer-implemented inventions under the European Patent Convention (EPC) is the extent to which subject matter in these fields is patentable under the Convention on the Grant of European Patents of October 5, 1973.
The EPO, JPO and USPTO handle the majority of the world's patent applications. [2] In 1983, these patent offices set up a programme of co-operation in an effort to "improve efficiency of the global patent system" [1] and to exchange information and views on patent administration and examination practice in order to gain mutual benefits.
This is a list of software patents, which contains notable patents and patent applications involving computer programs (also known as a software patent). Software patents cover a wide range of topics and there is therefore important debate about whether such subject-matter should be excluded from patent protection. [ 1 ]
A software patent is a patent on a piece of software, such as a computer program, library, user interface, or algorithm.The validity of these patents can be difficult to evaluate, as software is often at once a product of engineering, something typically eligible for patents, and an abstract concept, which is typically not.
The European Patent Register, also known as the Register of European Patents, [1] is a public register kept by the European Patent Office (EPO). It contains legal information relating to published European patent applications and European patents granted under the European Patent Convention (EPC).
On 20 February 2002, the European Commission initiated a proposal [1] for a directive to codify and "harmonise" the different EU national patent laws and cement the practice of the European Patent Office of granting patents for computer-implemented inventions provided they meet certain criteria (cf. software patents under the European Patent Convention).
The European Patent Office (EPO) [notes 1] is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. [4] The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation [5] [6] while the Administrative Council acts as its supervisory body [5] as well as, to a limited extent, its legislative body.
These decisions touch the issue of patentable subject-matter under the European Patent Convention (EPC). The accompanying notes offer an explanation as to the content of the decision. For an introduction to patentable subject-matter under the EPC, see Patentable subject-matter under the EPC and Software patents under the EPC. The organisation ...