USPTO Releases Examination Guidelines for Determining Patent Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101

Bernard Codd wrote this bylined article concerning new Patent Office examination guidelines that reflect recent Supreme Court decisions on what is patentable. Mr. Codd explained that the guidelines center on three questions about patent claims: are they directed to one of the four statutory claim categories; do they involve judicial exceptions, such as laws of nature or natural principles; and do they recite something significantly different than the judicial exceptions?