From steve.probert@patent.gov.uk  Wed Oct 18 10:36:35 2000
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 11:36:35 +0100
From: Steve Probert steve.probert@patent.gov.uk
Subject: [Patents] mental acts x software

>This theory about mental acts was rejected in US courts. 

Good.  They don't have a mental act exclusion, so there is no reason for them not to reject this theory.

>Following your reasoning the compress algorithms could (in theory) also be
>reproduced by mental acts, 

I disagree.  I've been thinking hard about the data on my hard drive, but I simply cannot make it shrink by just thinking about it.  Therefore, it is not a mental act.

>...the difference beteween the two methods is that the compress algorithms
>are more complex, and can only be implemented by computers. So, 
>according your argument: easy mental acts can not be patented and
>difficult mental acts can be patented, write?

Wrong.  The difference has nothing to do with the degree of difficulty, but rather to what is being done.  The mathematical theory underlying a compression algorithm is not patentable, but a data compression routine that uses the same mathematical theory to compress data could well be patentable.  This is true whether the mathematical theory is easy or hard.

Steve Probert
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