USPTO Wants To Fix Software Patent Process, Seeks Public Discussion

The US Patent and Trademark Office wants to fix the horribly broken US patent system as it pertains to software and the agency is asking for help from the public.

The Federal Register on Friday announced that it would hold events in New York City and Silicon Valley. The meetings are meant to solicit comments and according to the USPTO the meetings will be:

“An informal and interactive discussion of topics relating to patents that are particularly relevant to the software community.”

The USPTO hasn’t gone into depth about the topics it will discuss but did say both meetings will include a discussion on “how to improve clarity of claim boundaries that define the scope of patent protection for claims that use functional language.”

The US Patent Office says it will seek individual input but will not look for group consensus.

The agency notes that the meetings are meant to inform the public and not to change the copyright system in America. Instead the agency will look to “eliminate uncertainties about patents and descriptions which use it to describe innovations in patent filings.”

Paul Brest Hall at Stanford University will host the first meeting on February 12 at 9am PT. The second meeting will take place at the Henry Kaufman Management Center faculty lounge on the New York University campus. The New York meeting will take place on February 27 at 9 AM ET.

Comments from both meetings will be posted on the official USPTO website.

Will you be following the USPTO public forums?