It is an area of high investment and rapid innovation, in which patents appear to be playing their intended part. The Government does not want to change the rules in a way which participants would regard as substantially weakening their incentive to innovate. The Government s conclusion is thus to reaffirm the principle that patents are for technological innovations. Software should not be patentable where there is no technological innovation, and technological innovations should not cease to be patentable merely because the innovation lies in software. However, the Government agrees with those respondents who said that at present the law is not clear enough, and that this is damaging.
Clarification is needed.
The Government intends to take this matter up with its partners in the European Union and the European Patent Convention as a matter of urgency. Ways of Doing Business 21. There was a good deal more agreement among respondents about business methods. Virtually all opposed patents for business methods where no computer is involved. The great majority also opposed patents for computer-implemented business methods if there is no technological innovation.