Software patents

Is the existing patent regime adequate for inventions in the area of software development? It is very ambivalent which impact the actual practice of the patent offices and the relevant legal courts, but also alternative legal regimes have on so-called computer-implemented inventions. Furthermore, the frontiers of the patentability of computer-implemented inventions are blurred. This book presents empirical evidence of the existing innovation activities of software developing companies, but also of their strategies to protect their intellectual property. Furthermore, their preferences regarding alternative patent regimes are collected and analysed. A representative survey and more than 20 detailed case studies among German software developing companies formed the empirical basis. The book concludes with recommendations for the future shape of the IPR regime relevant for software inventions. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI researches the market potentials of technological developments and their impacts on economy, state and society. The Institute's interdisciplinary teams focus their work especially on the fields of energy, environment, production, communication and biotechnology, as well as regional research and innovation policy.