Why novelty doesn’t make abstract ideas any less abstract

Description

Abstract: The “Alice test” is a two-step framework for identifying patents that cover nothing more than abstract ideas — and are therefore not patent-eligible. This article describes a Federal Circuit case, Synopsys, Inc. v. Mentor Graphics Corp., where the patent holder failed the test. In its decision, the court clarified that a patent claim for a novel abstract idea doesn’t change the fact that the idea is abstract. Synopsys, Inc. v. Mentor Graphics Corp., No. 2016-1599, Oct. 17, 2016 (Fed. Cir.)