Intellectual Property
The History and Future of E-Commerce Patents
The tide has definitely turned against e-commerce patents. In a series of important cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has shifted the doctrine of patent eligibility in ways that will make it much more difficult to obtain or enforce e-commerce and software patents. After walking through the lead-up to our current state of affairs, we consider a set of four historic e-commerce patents and whether the patents would be eligible under the new rules.