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ARTICLE · 07 JUNE 2019

INSIGHT: Stabilizing The Software Patent Field

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Section 112(f) of the U.S. Patent Act allows patentees to claim their invention as a means for performing a certain function—a method commonly employed by inventors in the software space

United StatesIntellectual Property
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn
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Originally published in Boomberg Law, May 23, 2019

Section 112(f) of the U.S. Patent Act allows patentees to claim their invention as a means for performing a certain function—a method commonly employed by inventors in the software space. In Part 2 of a two-part series on new guidance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Akin Gump attorneys share practice tips and say the guidance gives practitioners the tools to prosecute and enforce valid software patents.

In 2011, Marc Andreessen, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, boldly declared that "software is eating the world," as evidenced by the rise of computer-implemented technology powering global innovation.

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