[Patents] mental acts x software

[Steve Probert steve.probert@patent.gov.uk]

>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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