Changes

There are three types of patents:

There are three types of patents:

* Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof;

* [[Utility patent]]s may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof;

* Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture; and

* [[Design patent]]s may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture; and

* Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.  

* [[Plant patent]]s may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.  

To be the subject of a U.S. utility patent, an invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious.  Obviousness is determined from the standpoint of a person having ordinary skill in the art who had [[hindsight|no knowledge of the invention itself]].  Other countries typically require novelty, inventive step (in practice the same thing as non-obviousness), and industrial applicability (a somewhat more stringent standard than utility).  They may also exclude certain categories of inventions patentable in the United States, such as methods of diagnosis or treatment performed on a human or animal body and computer-implemented business methods.

To be the subject of a U.S. utility patent, an invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious.  Obviousness is determined from the standpoint of a person having ordinary skill in the art who had [[hindsight|no knowledge of the invention itself]].  Other countries typically require novelty, inventive step (in practice the same thing as non-obviousness), and industrial applicability (a somewhat more stringent standard than utility).  They may also exclude certain categories of inventions patentable in the United States, such as methods of diagnosis or treatment performed on a human or animal body and computer-implemented business methods.

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[[Category:Law]]

[[Category:Law]]