On 22 March, the Government published its conclusions on the extent to which computer programs and Internet trading methods should be patentable. This followed consultation with industry and other interested parties on the subject in November 2000. Summaries of the 285 responses received and the Government's conclusions are available on the Patent Office website (www.patent.gov.uk/index.htm).
Responses were, perhaps inevitably, polarised. Some argued that it should be easier to patent software, while others considered that patents represent a threat to the development of new applications. There was, however, widespread agreement with the Government's conclusion that business methods should not be protected by patents.
