Patent Protection for Computer Programs

As discussed in Chapter 8, the cost of obtaining a copyright registration for computer software is minimal, and the period required to obtain the registration can be as short as four months. Unfortunately, however, courts have signaled a reluctance to afford broad copyright protection to computer programs, in many cases holding that the program or many of its elements are useful articles undeserving of copyright protection. Although patent protection affords greater protection, the prosecution costs are significant (between $10,000 and $30,000 in many cases), and the patent may take up to thirty months to issue, during which time the program may become obsolete. Some experts have suggested that only groundbreaking ...

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